<img src='/images/comp_logos/att.gif' style='float:right' vspace='8' hspace='8'> <b> Listening in? Electronic Frontier Foundation accuses AT&T of violating users' digital privacy</b><br /><br />Sixteen years ago, a cattle rancher and Grateful Dead lyricist named John Perry Barlow surveyed the landscape of electronic communications and had visions of the Wild West.<br /> <br /> Thus was conceived the Electronic Frontier Foundation. <br /> <br /> We were in the lawlessness phase, and the sheriff was coming to town,'' said Shari Steele, executive director of the San Francisco-based organization that Barlow and two colleagues founded. Only rather than siding with latter-day sheriffs seeking to ride herd on the fledgling Internet, Steele said, "we were trying to keep the freewheeling, Wild West feeling going and protect people's rights.''<br /><br /> <div class='newslinks'><img src='http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/style_images/1/cs_page.gif'> <b>Link: <a href='http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/23/MNGIOJ0G7V1.DTL&hw=Cyberspace&sn=001&sc=1000' target='_blank'><font color='red'>Complete San Francisco Chronicle</font></a><br /><img src='http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/style_images/1/cs_page.gif'> <b>Link: <a href='http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/23/MNGIOJ0G7L1.DTL' target='_blank'><font color='red'>Related Artticle</font></a><br />

And the government's view on the subject:
The full story:
US says gov't, not court, should judge spy secrets

At one time, the US Attorney General, and the Department of Justice, spent their time defending the liberties and rights of the citizens, and held the rule of law to be the cornerstone of US life.
How far have we travelled.
Regards,
John