EFF files evidence against AT&T in wiretapping suit

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced Friday that it filed evidence with the courts backing up its claims that AT&T provided unfettered access to its network for the purpose of wiretapping.

The EFF originally filed its class-action lawsuit on Jan. 31 accusing AT&T of violating the law by allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on customers and data-mine customer information.

The civil liberties group says it held off filing this additional evidence “due to government concerns,” over the evidence, which was filed under a temporary seal. AT&T has five “court days,” to prove why the evidence should be kept from the public, the EFF says.

The group says the evidence includes comments from a former AT&T telecommunications technician and internal AT&T documents.

The EFF’s suit in January came a month after The New York Times first reported that President Bush authorized the NSA to intercept telephone and Internet communications without court approval.