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story category Inside Comcast's Surveillance Policies
Handbook documents retention, surveillance fees...
(old news - 04:00PM Monday Oct 15 2007)
tags: legal · business · privacy · Comcast
Tipped by tiger72 See Profile
User tiger72 writes in: "The Federation of American Scientists has obtained a recently disclosed Comcast Handbook for Law Enforcement which details its policies for divulging its customers personal information. All of Comcast's policies seem to [follow] the letter of the law, and seem to weigh customer privacy with Law Enforcement's requests. This is in apparent contrast to ATT and a number of other telecommunication companies which have been just too happy to give over subscriber records."

According to the information, Comcast keeps logs for up to 180 days on IP address allocation, and they do not keep all of your e-mails forever (45 days at most). VoIP phone records are stored for 2 years, and cable records can only be retrieved upon a court order. The document even details how much it costs law enforcement to get access to personal data (data for child exploitation cases is free of charge):
Click for full size
The cost for performing any FISA surveillance "requiring deployment of an intercept device" is $1,000.00 for the "initial start-up fee (including the first month of intercept service)." . . . Thereafter, the surveillance fee goes down to "$750.00 per month for each subsequent month in which the original [FISA] order or any extensions of the original order are active."
The FAS has more insight on the subject of Domestic Surveillance here

Related:
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Forums » Inside Comcast's Surveillance Policies
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brianiscool

join:2000-08-16
Miami, FL

Coool

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
permalink · 2007-10-15 16:18:32 · Reply to this

TK Junk Mail
Go ahead, make my day
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Margate City, NJ
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·Comcast

Re: Coool

said by brianiscool See Profile :

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
And you go thru the hassle and the delays for what reason? What have you got to hide?
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permalink · 2007-10-15 16:36:39 · Print · Reply to this

MxxCon

join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY
clubs:
edit:
October 15th, @04:57PM

Re: Coool

ah the ever ignorant "if you are not a criminal, you got nothing to hide..." argument
permalink · 2007-10-15 16:56:33 · Reply to this
madrhino

join:2004-07-03
·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast

Re: Coool

said by MxxCon See Profile :

ah the ever ignorant "if you are not a criminal, you got nothing to hide..." argument
The last refuge of the brain dead( and blind)
permalink · 2007-10-15 19:32:13 · Reply to this

tiger72
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said by TK Junk Mail See Profile :

said by brianiscool See Profile :

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
And you go thru the hassle and the delays for what reason? What have you got to hide?
If the government mandated that houses could no longer have walls would you be so cavalier? What have you got to hide?
permalink · 2007-10-15 17:17:26 · Print · Reply to this

Nightshade
My political statement
Premium
join:2002-05-26
Salem, OR

edit:
October 16th, @02:04AM
 Have you ever thought for one second that maybe he has nothing to hide?

Maybe he values and respects his right to privacy and will do anything at any lengths to protect the right he so cherishes, like any patriotic, red-blooded American should.

I know I do and I'm a law abiding citizen with nothing to hide. But that is irrelevant because I cherish my right to privacy and will protect it feverishly, especially from the government.

I do not care to live in a police state.
permalink · 2007-10-15 18:19:59 · Reply to this

Hangmn
Don't Fight It...It's Inevitable
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join:2000-04-08
Philadelphia, PA
said by TK Junk Mail See Profile :

said by brianiscool See Profile :

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
And you go thru the hassle and the delays for what reason? What have you got to hide?
Ahh the resident neo-con raises his head
--
»davescustompc.com
permalink · 2007-10-15 21:25:39 · Print · Reply to this

tc1uscg

join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI
·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
·VoiceEclipse
said by TK Junk Mail See Profile :

said by brianiscool See Profile :

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
And you go thru the hassle and the delays for what reason? What have you got to hide?
But no one said you had to make it so easy to allow this to happen. Rather you have nothing to hide or do, there will be tools out there that will allow unscrupulous types to seek you out and exploit the open door policy we are so quick to allow. Just a quick thought.
permalink · 2007-10-16 02:27:45 · Print · Reply to this

AtomicZero

join:2004-11-24
West Palm Beach, FL
·Comcast
said by TK Junk Mail See Profile :

said by brianiscool See Profile :

Log everything see if I care
VPN and tor are my best buddies.
And you go thru the hassle and the delays for what reason? What have you got to hide?
We all have secrets...maybe they're not illegal but you would still like them to be private. like maybe a cool screenplay or idea you don't want people stealing/leaking....or that secret blog about how you hate your job @ Comcast. or embarrasing porn?? No. people should not be able to just peek in when they feel like it. How would you like my eyeballs on your junk right now?
permalink · 2007-10-16 15:26:03 · Print · Reply to this
axus

join:2001-06-18
Washington, DC
·Verizon Online DSL
·Cox HSI

 If there was evidence of you doing something illegal, I think you'd get key-logged by the government and cracked that way. But now you don't have to worry about bored or corrupt agents of the government snooping through your personal and financial info without cause.
permalink · 2007-10-15 17:28:26 · Reply to this

Phattieg

join:2001-04-29
Jacksonville, FL
·Verizon Wireless B..
·Sprint Mobile Broa..

I don't know about the NSA, but e-mail deletion can be stopp

Click for full size
Learn how to use your service...
You all might THINK you have no choice about auto-deletion of e-mail, but there is a setting right here that allows you to specify if you want them to allow deletion or not. If you log into webmail, and go to "preferences", you can tell it NOT to delete read or unread messages automatically. You all don't understand, many people don't use their Comcast e-mail address because they have been using other mail providers like "Yahoo" or "G-Mail", or they have Outlook Express told to "leave a copy of message on server", and the person never deletes the message after the download it to their mail client, which generates call-in's about "why is my mailbox bouncing messages back to senders" when their box is full, and also, Comcast doesn't want to waste server space on spam from 8 months ago if you don't even read your Comcast mail. It would be pointless to waste that server space on such an old message in the first place, especially if YOU don't use their mail, but 10 other people DO use it.

As far as disclosing information to the government, I can sorta understand why they would charge, because Comcast has an archiving company, and they have to get the info from them if it's old info... Long story short, they reserve the right to charge for the info. It's THEIR network, and I doubt for SERIOUS crimes (like bank fraud, child porn, etc) they won't charge, but for petty stuff (Joe hacked into my computer, and he read my diary, and I wanna sue him) they will make it worth their time, and discourage petty suits from being made.

-Rob G
--
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permalink · 2007-10-15 19:45:32 · Print · Reply to this

S_engineer

join:2007-05-16
Chicago, IL

Let the comcast bashing begin...

my issue is with their service...I already know there is no privacy!
--
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permalink · 2007-10-15 16:24:01 · Reply to this

Nightfall
My Goal Is To Deny Yours
Premium,MVM
join:2001-08-03
Grand Rapids, MI
clubs:

No suprise

They follow the law which is what they are supposed to do.
permalink · 2007-10-15 16:32:29 · Reply to this

tiger72
SexaT duorP
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Kansas City, MO
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Re: No suprise

a number of others don't. In fact, they're downright EAGER to give your personal records to the government without as much as asking WHY.
permalink · 2007-10-15 16:47:40 · Reply to this
SilverSurfer

join:2007-08-19

Re: No suprise

said by tiger72 See Profile :

a number of others don't. In fact, they're downright EAGER to give your personal records to the government without as much as asking WHY.
What does it matter whether Comcrap follows any laws or not? All the telcos that participated in the NSA snoopfest are looking for, and will most likely get, retroactive immunity. ISP immunity is also likely to follow. Consequently, the alleged following of any laws now is a joke.
permalink · 2007-10-15 17:00:27 · Print · Reply to this

MxxCon

join:1999-11-19
Brooklyn, NY
clubs:

cable records can only be retrieved upon a court order

cable records can only be retrieved upon a court order
does that mean other(voip/internet) records can be obtained w/o court order?
--
[Sig removed by Administrator: Signature can not exceed 20GB]
permalink · 2007-10-15 16:58:51 · Reply to this

tiger72
SexaT duorP
Premium
join:2001-03-28
Kansas City, MO
clubs:

Re: cable records can only be retrieved upon a court order

yep. Merely a subpoena, NSA request, Summons, Warrant, etc... can get those. In other words, for everything BUT cable TV, authorities can access those records at-will, without needing a bench-sanctioned warrant for searching your private records.
permalink · 2007-10-15 17:09:48 · Reply to this
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard

join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Re: cable records can only be retrieved upon a court order

so they can know who you called, and what sites you visited but they need a special court order to know you watched Backdoor Bandits 3 on the Spice Channel....
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports
permalink · 2007-10-15 17:14:24 · Reply to this
redhatnation
Premium
join:2005-06-02
Woodbridge, VA

It sounds like Comcast has their stuff together...

at least in their legal department. Whatever you might think of their service, their surveillance policy is thorough and seems (at first glance) to be decent.
permalink · 2007-10-15 18:58:12 · Reply to this

MIRV

join:2000-12-01
Louisville, KY

Gouging to run the spy equipment

$1000 for the first month?
$750 each month thereafter?
Nice racket.
--
Capitalism and Democracy are mutually exclusive
permalink · 2007-10-15 19:25:30 · Reply to this
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard

join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Re: Gouging to run the spy equipment

however by costing money they also make the agency wanting the snooping done think about it rather then just do blanket snooping. as remember those government guys cant use 50 cents in a candy machine without paperwork and red tape.
--
[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports
permalink · 2007-10-15 20:21:12 · Reply to this

TraumaJunkie
Premium
join:2004-03-05
Knoxville, TN
said by MIRV See Profile :

$1000 for the first month?
$750 each month thereafter?
Nice racket.
Wondered who would be the first to say it was just about the money. Ever think it is also to discourage the frivilous requests? Do you know how easy it is to get a warrent these days? The costs may just stop some overzealous LEO from persuing something for a friend or at least have to have enough evidence w/o the Comcast info to get approval from the boss whose budget the check will be drawn on.
permalink · 2007-10-15 22:46:04 · Print · Reply to this

Titus Pullo
I came, I saw, I slept

join:2004-06-26
·Embarq
said by MIRV See Profile :

$1000 for the first month?
$750 each month thereafter?
Nice racket.
There's also the Triple Play® - $500 a month wiretaps for an entire year if you bundle enhanced NetSpy® (email and deep browsing history) along with PowerSnoop® (10x faster than DSL can tap you).
--
.sig probably deleted by the NGZ Zbqrengbe
permalink · 2007-10-16 10:43:48 · Print · Reply to this
ChicagoCPA

join:2001-12-02
Mokena, IL

Re: Gouging to run the spy equipment

I am only surprised that they do not charge a fee on child exploitation cases.

I wonder what other fees were rejected by comcast last year

My top guesses

1. No Competition Fee (you can't get DSL you pay a $10.00 monthly charge)

2. Repair Call Fee, if you cable or high speed internet goes out you have to pay a dispatch fee

3. Disconnect Fee, if you decide you no longer want comcast service you have to pay 100% of your old cable bill for the next two years, but you don't have to pay any rate increases during that period.
permalink · 2007-10-16 16:07:51 · Print · Reply to this
robertfl
Premium
join:2005-10-10
Mary Esther, FL

Constitution

anyone remember the constitution? we are innocent until proven guilty - now it's guilty until proven.

this is about greed and CONTROL.

Please wake up, people.

-Rob
permalink · 2007-10-15 19:53:34 · Reply to this
redhatnation
Premium
join:2005-06-02
Woodbridge, VA

Re: Constitution

Don't be a drama queen. No where in that document does Comcast say anything about assuming guilt before innocence. If anything, they appear to be following the letter of the law.
permalink · 2007-10-15 21:46:55 · Reply to this
Freezone

join:2000-09-29
Southfield, MI

Re: Constitution

As much as i generally hate comcast, i must admit they did not sell out customers to the Riaa and NSA.

ATT and Verizon are both looking for a presidential pardon in the form of the veto pen.
permalink · 2007-10-15 23:53:12 · Reply to this
redhatnation
Premium
join:2005-06-02
Woodbridge, VA
·Comcast
·Verizon Online DSL

Re: Constitution

said by Freezone See Profile :

As much as i generally hate comcast, i must admit they did not sell out customers to the Riaa and NSA.

ATT and Verizon are both looking for a presidential pardon in the form of the veto pen.
Agreed. In this case, Comcast is just complying with the law. They clearly spell out what information is provided, to whom, and reasons when that information is exposed.

Unlike those Verizon folk who think CPNI is theirs to sell to anybody and their mother.
permalink · 2007-10-16 00:18:45 · Print · Reply to this

Nightshade
My political statement
Premium
join:2002-05-26
Salem, OR

Re: Constitution

I am glad that Comcast was open enough to share their privacy polices with the public. It shows me that my ISP provider cares enough about how I feel about privacy rights. It also shows me that they will not give out or volunteer any information unless they are required to by law.

Good job Comcast, and thanks for the information.
--
True Happiness Must Come From Within
permalink · 2007-10-16 02:12:42 · Reply to this

RangerTX
Premium
join:2006-05-17
Los Angeles, CA

All emails between friends are encrypted

All email between my friends are encrypted, government is welcome to read my encrypted emails.
--
i am not a lawyer but I do play one on the internet
permalink · 2007-10-15 23:58:10 · Reply to this

jimbo48

join:2000-11-17
Hayward, CA
·EarthLink

Govt surveillence laws are unconstitutional.

Its not whether Comcast AT&T or any other Telco followed the laws because the laws are unconstitutional (in my opinion). The Feds are saying they can get anything they want from anyone without a court order warrant or subpoena.
Whatever happened to the Constitution and its so-called inalienable rights? Pissed on and defecated on by those zealots who are two steps below a cretin. I don't think I have anything to hide but piss on them if they think that because they want information on me they take it. Its high time the Supreme Court grew some cojones and protected the Americans rather than selling them out for political gain and personal prestige. Its a pipe dream I know because the "Supreme Court" is nothing but a puppet and someone besides me is pulling their strings.
permalink · 2007-10-16 17:55:35 · Print · Reply to this

MemyselfI

@comcast.net

Re: Govt surveillence laws are unconstitutional.

Amen Jimbo-48
permalink · 2007-10-17 20:15:39 · Reply to this
Forums » Inside Comcast's Surveillance Policies

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