Privacy's Defenders Podcast: The Secret Room
The government’s surveillance powers grew rapidly after Sept. 11, 2001, some in public view and some in secret. EFF suspected but couldn’t prove that the National Security Agency was spying on Americans' communications. The New York Times sat on a story about it for over a year, finally publishing it in December 2005. Then, in January 2006, a retired AT&T technician named Mark Klein walked into…
The Privacy's Defenders podcast, hosted by former EFF Executive Director Cindy Cohn, delves into the people who have fought to secure digital liberties since before the internet was widely known. In this episode, Cohn discusses the secret surveillance room at AT&T with former EFF lawyer Kevin Bankston, who was drafting a lawsuit against the phone company when whistleblower Mark Klein arrived with classified documents in his possession.
Bankston narrates the legal battle that followed, known as Hepting v. AT&T, as well as the role of retired Justice Department lawyer Tony Coppolino, who defended the case after learning of the documents' potential classification. The podcast also features Klein directly, along with Carolyn Jewel, a romance novelist and AT&T customer who became the lead plaintiff in the NSA-related lawsuit.
The story highlights a secret room within a San Francisco phone company building, the bravery of the whistleblower, and the individuals who refused to allow mass surveillance to remain hidden. The "Privacy's Defenders" podcast is a continuation of Cindy Cohn's book, "Privacy's Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance," and the proceeds from its sales support the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
Written by urgent.news from EFF Deeplinks's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
