A federal judge has turned down the request of the Director of Intelligence John Negroponte and other government officials that he dismiss the case against AT&T, which alleges that the firm illegally allowed the government to monitor phone conversations and email communications. AT&T had in late April moved the court to dismiss the lawsuit and two weeks later, the US government had asked the judge to dismiss it citing its state secrets privileges.



Mr. Negroponte told the court that disclosing information in the case might cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security of the country.



In a lawsuit filed in February the privacy rights group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said the programme allows the government to eavesdrop on phone calls and read emails of millions of Americans without o0btaining warrants the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction, which would order the government to stop the programme.



In a democracy, citizens do not expect the government to resort to underhand means to infringe on their fundamental rights. However, at the same time the government has to be excused because it cannot reveal all information to the public as it concerns not just the safety and integrity of the country but also the lives of those very people who have elected it are at stake.



Via: Reuters