AMERICAblog just bought General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.

[Gloria]

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/americablog-just-bought-general-wesley.html

AMERICAblog just bought General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95
by John in DC - 1/12/2006 01:22:00 PM

I reported the other day that your cell phone records are on sale online for anyone to buy, without your permission. Well, this morning AMERICAblog bought former presidential candidate, and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for one hundred calls made over three days in November 2005, no questions asked. (Clark's cell phone provider is Omnipoint Communications, which seems to be related to T-Mobile.)

All we needed was General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card, and 24 hours later we had one hundred calls the general made on his cell phone in November. The calls included a number of calls to Arkansas, to foreign countries, and at least one call to a prominent reporter at the Washington Post. To ensure that we actually had General Clark's correct cell phone number, we called the number this morning and the voice mail recording that answered said:

"Hi, this is Wes Clark, leave a message ."

We have retained a recording of that voice mail message.

This is clearly outrageous. But let me first say, as an aside, that I bought my own Cingular Wireless phone records this past weekend and reported on it on AMERICAblog. I wouldn't do this to any other public person without first doing it to myself. But even after reporting on this gross violation of my (and your) personal privacy, Congress, the Administration, and the phone companies have yet to act effectively. (And they have known about it since at least this past July when the Washington Post reported on it.) So we decided to attempt to buy the records of a celebrity, so to speak. And we unfortunately succeeded.

I also want to say a quick aside about General Clark. I was a big fan of his presidential campaign, and he was the first candidate I supported. This effort was not meant in any way as a slight to the general. We wanted to see if it was possible to buy the phone records of someone high profile in order to prove that this is a problem with serious national security implications, and frankly, we didn't want to pick a Republican since we thought such a choice would be perceived as partisan or mean-spirited, and that is not our intent for exposing this. Our intent is to get this problem fixed so that we all can benefit.

MORE!!!

[DURHAM D]

1. Lets make a list of the records we would like to have before

this problem is fixed.

I will start - category is news hacks:

Chris Matthews
Nora Whatshername
Andrea Mitchell
Wolfie
Timmy Russert

[radio4progressives]

8. BINGO!!!

Anyone have the money to do this?

Do it please and then share that information right here on DU ...

so that maybe the freaking Corporate Media Whores and the utterly stupid, shite for brains, kool aid drinking FREEPTARDS finally GET IT.

[katinmn]

32. Karl Rove. John Yoo. Let's see. Ken Mehlman

The list is endless.

With money you can get anything you want.

[radio4progressives]

10. Oh hell.. I don't think the point will be made clear unless we include

Repukes!

How about every Republican Senator on the Judiciary for starters?

Or at least Hatch, Sessions, DeWHINER, et al.

[eek]

23. mustn't forget O'Really!

betcha there is all sorts of fun to be had, there!

Joe-mentum Lieberman could be interesting - if predictable.

[Pachamama]

39. Don't forget Judy Miller and Karl Rove...

We can't forget dear Judy and Karl....would love to know who they were calling....:eyes:

[mike_c]

2. well, where DO the boundaries of privacy lie...?

Cell calls are made by broadcast transmission, using the public airwaves. On the one hand, phone companies license specific frequencies, but on the other, they do so from the public trust if I'm not mistaken (and I might very well be). Aren't those frequencies "public property" in the same sense that National Forests are public property? If that's the case, don't we have an inherent right to know how they're used? I presume the actual content of those conversations is protected, notwithstanding spying in violation of the law or monitoring with a court order, but should the right to private access to broadcast frequencies be presumed?

[leftstreet]

4. Well, the right to "private profit" from "public property" seems presumed

So I guess anything goes.

[mike_c]

7. oh, that's another matter entirely, and one on which I suspect...

...we agree completely. I think it's a shame that it cost $89 for the information. I think it ought to be freely available, or absolutely protected-- and my personal view is that since it's broadcast on a public frequency, it should be freely available. The airwaves are not conceptually different from any other public place-- when two people meet in public, their communication should be privileged, but anyone has the right to look at them and note their having communicated.

[leftstreet]

11. Exactly! n/t

[Dunvegan]

3. I've got the credit card...

...if anyone has Alito's cell phone number.

"All we needed was General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card...."

[KittyWampus]

17. I'm game!

[lindisfarne]

18. Exactly what I was thinking ...

[MelissaB]

25. I'll kick in if we can find a number.

I've had no success.

[MelissaB]

31. Check this out!

http://www.usa-people-search.com/Default.aspx?view=

type in "karl rove"

[MelissaB]

33. Actually you have to pay to get the phone # here. n/t

[drm604]

41. That DC fax line just beckons, doesn't it!

I'd love to know what calls went to and from it. :evilgrin:

[FrenchieCat]

5. We are all so fucking screwed.....that it ain't even funny!

a serving of Freedom Fries, some "real" champagne and a one way Air France airline ticket is the only thing that is gonna make me feel "free" as of today! :(

[Bozita]

6. add Jeff Gannon to that list

[Auntie Bush]

13. Now that is a REALLY GOOD idea!!!!!!

Maybe we could find out who he has contacts with and WHO Might be subject to blackmail. Now that would be important and enlightening!

[Tin Man]

14. I wonder how many times Guckert's cell placed calls to Rove's cell?

[Bozita]

9. Could NSA sell tapes of the conversations?

I'm not asking for "would." How about "could"?

[Adelante]

12. I hope General Clark sues the shit out of this company

What an outrage.

[Adelante]

15. MoveOn has sent out an email alert

Dear MoveOn Member,

It sounds unbelievable—but did you know that anyone can go online and purchase cell or home phone records of people like you?

Today, AMERICAblog was able to buy Gen. Wesley Clark's personal cell phone records with no problem. Phone companies and congressional leaders have known about this problem, but they've failed to address it.

Even at a time when our right to privacy is under attack on multiple fronts, the idea that someone can simply go online and buy another person's phone records seems beyond possibility—but it is true, and it must be stopped immediately.

Please sign this emergency petition to your congressional representatives today.<snip

I don't have the petition link. If anybody gets it, please post it. Thanks.

[Renew Deal]

24. This is probably a double sided message.

I think it's a call to action for super sleuths.

[nickshepDEM]

16. Whats his number, by the way?

Just kidding...

[Catrina]

19. Unbelievable, but I'm wondering if it's possible to get Republican

records. Is it just Demrats' records that are available? Also, now that we know it was possible to get Gen. Clark's from the election period, it would be important to find out if anyone else bought them during that period. I hope Gen. Clark sues the company and subpaenos their records.

Good for John Aravosis for exposing this ~ is this illegal? I would think it should be.

[chicagomd]

20. n/t

kick

[quiet.american]

21. Well, well, well... another reason not to like cell phones....

Okay, cell phones have become as necessary as breathing, BUT damn, people jawing away on them 24/7 wherever you go can be damn annoying.

[justabob]

26. land lines available too

from what I understand. :(

[quiet.american]

29. Well, well, well... another reason not to like phones.... :)

;-)

[rucky]

22. Hooray for technology!

Now everybody has a public voice...whether they want one or not!

[stevedeshazer]

27. AMERICAblog just bought Gen. Wesley Clark's cell phone records for $89.95

UPDATE: We tried to get the cell phone records of other high-profile Washingtonians like ABC's George Stephanopoulos, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, and the New York Time's Adam Nagourney, but LocateCell was unable to provide me with their records (possibly because those three use Verizon as their cell phone service, or possibly because LocateCell was on to me).

I reported the other day that your cell phone records are on sale online for anyone to buy, without your permission. Well, this morning AMERICAblog bought former presidential candidate, and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark's cell phone records for one hundred calls made over three days in November 2005, no questions asked. (Clark's cell phone provider is Omnipoint Communications, which seems to be related to T-Mobile.)

All we needed was General Clark's cell phone number and our credit card, and 24 hours later we had one hundred calls the general made on his cell phone in November. The calls included a number of calls to Arkansas, to foreign countries, and at least one call to a prominent reporter at the Washington Post. To ensure that we actually had General Clark's correct cell phone number, we called the number this morning and the voice mail recording that answered said:

"Hi, this is Wes Clark, leave a message ."

link: http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/01/americablog-just-bought-general-wesley.html

[Adelante]

28. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2364606

[HeatherDawn]

30. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

At this point everyone must live their life as though under constant surveillance...because you are. Your phone calls and emails and financial transactions are being monitored not just by the government but by corporations who can buy this information.
As I posted on another topic earlier. "They" know who we are. The Bush administration bypassed the secret court for only one logical reason...They aren't "tapping" one person or group they are tapping us all. I am sure the info they are gathering is for sale to major corps....you know so that we can be secure.

[babylonsister]

34. Welcome to DU, Heather Dawn!

:hi:

[Adelante]

35. Did anybody see this reported on CNN?

I hear it was on there, but I had he TV turned off.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

36. kick

kick, kick...

[grasswire]

37. what about the guy who ratted memogate?

The freeper. What was his name? Buckhead or something like that? There's a serious need to get his records from that time period.

[Brundle_Fly]

38. Alito

http://www.usa-people-search.com/order.aspx?id=681910919&record=2&fn=Samuel&ln=Alito

[drm604]

40. I am so tempted...

Should we do some sleuthing? Anyone who's interested, PM me.