WikiLeaks Party demands answers from Telstra

Online news service Crikey revealed today that Telstra entered into agreements with the FBI and the US Department of Justice in 2001 to monitor and store metadata and other private information of American, Australian and potentially Chinese citizens via their undersea cable infrastructure.

WikiLeaks Party spokesperson, Omar Todd said today;

“Whilst these agreements appear to be entered into in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 Australians are entitled to ask the current board of Telstra whether or not it has entered into any further agreements with US security or intelligence agencies since that time.”

“Furthermore Telstra should come clean on the extent to which its customers’ privacy has been compromised by the 2001 agreement with the FBI and the US Department of Justice”

“The shareholders of Telstra in particular should be told by the company whether or not it is participating in the United States global intelligence gathering networks” stated Mr Todd

The revelations by Crikey also raise the question as to whether or not other information or Internet service providers are also participants in sharing data with the United States.

In light of recent revelations by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden that Australia has been participating in the United States PRISM program as part of the ‘five eyes’ intelligence-sharing network, customers of telecommunications companies and ISPs should be asking if their privacy has been compromised.

The WikiLeaks Party believes that all Australian telecommunications companies and ISP’s should be compelled by law to disclose to the Australian Parliament any arrangements or agreements that they have entered into with any foreign power to hand over or store metadata or other forms of private information about their customers.

www.wikileaksparty.org.au
WikiLeaks Party