Seems like the telecoms have a good handle on their legal rights when their pocketbooks are involved:
Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureaus repeated failures to pay phone bills on time.
A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBIs lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said.
In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation “was halted due to untimely payment,” the audit found. FISA wiretaps are used in the governments most sensitive and secretive criminal investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies.
They couldn’t be bothered to think about the legal rights of their customers, but don’t have any trouble enforcing their own.
Post a Comment