Supreme Court to Decide if AT&T Has Personal Privacy Rights

[The Straight Story]

Supreme Court to Decide if AT&T Has Personal Privacy Rights

Corporations could win privacy rights reserved until now for individuals if the U.S. Supreme Court finds in favor of AT&T in a case that will be heard early next year.

At issue is whether AT&T can block the release of company documents, previously delivered to the Federal Communications Commission, as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The FCC intended to turn over the AT&T materials to comply with the FOIA request, when the company sued to stop the government and won a ruling before a federal appeals court.

AT&T lawyers claim the release of the information would constitute “an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy,” meaning a corporation should be entitled to the privacy rights ordinarily associated with people.

The government is opposing the company’s attempt to redefine personal privacy in the case AT&T v. FCC.

FOIA supporters fear the granting of personal privacy rights to corporations could cripple citizen efforts to obtain information through the landmark act.

http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Supreme_Court_to_Decide_if_ATT_Has_Personal_Privacy_Rights_101122

[WinkyDink]

1. Can we sentence them to death?

[Jeffersons Ghost]

2. K&R we get less privacy Big Business gets more

[Poll_Blind]

3. Wow, I can already tell you there's about a 90% chance in my mind the Supreme Court is going to....

...grant them this and, in that way, turn corporations into a kind of "Super Person", which would be a big nail in the coffin of personhood as we know it. At least for people, anyway.

The absolute only remedy I could see in a situation like this, is for people to literally incorporate together, politically, to fight this. I'm no law expert but I don't think there will be much hope for the individual at that point.

In other words, the only way to defend ourselves from this sort of hideousness is to incorporate ourselves.

BTW, at that point we'd actually be paying into two governments: The one that failed us and the one (the hypothetical political incorporation I speak of) which would be our only line of defense.

Fucking fucked up and scary.

ALL of this, BTW, the slippery slope of corporate personhood. I will be watching the outcome of this like a fucking hawk.

PB

[arcane1]

4. Oh, that headline is just too rich!

AT&T, the company that began snooping our emails and telephones BEFORE 9/11, now claiming privacy rights???

[bluesmail]

5. This would be a most dangerous premise given in addition all that personhood

b. s. to Corporations, then the Citizens United ruling. How far can this go? I mean, what is their Endgame? Corporate Nazi's have been around for centuries, if not, dare I say it, The Iluminati. Knights Templar. They do the same effin thing, then they change their name, just like a corporation does now, the present day. WoW They've perfected corruption. Made it an art.

[OlympicBrian]

6. Is the US Chamber of Commerce Involved in this Case?

I'll bet they are, on the AT&T side...

[ShadowLiberal]

7. They willingly hand over your text messages sent to whoever asks, and then expect privacy!

This is really outrageous coming from a telephone company, given that they're very loose with some of your privacy with cell phones.

Quite a few of them will give say a copy of all the text messages you've sent to anyone in the last few months to practically anyone who asks.

And now they expect privacy they refuse to give their customers!

Even more outrageous the ultra neocons on the supreme courts will probably freaking give it to them.

Next they'll be suing to overturn any kind of public disclose of corporation cash to anyone in elections for the same reason for privacy.

The public's right to know outweighs the rights of a big multinational corporation. Being a big multinational corporation means having to reveal more information then small business no one has ever heard of, if your a big multinational corporation you just have to deal with it.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. I'm going to pray that Clarence Thomas has a massive stroke before the case is heard.

[Initech]

9. Considering this is the same SCOTUS that ruled money = free speech...

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if they ruled in favor of AT&T. This court is treading into seriously dangerous territory - I'd be in favor of impeaching Alito, Thomas, Scalia, and the whole lot of 'em.

[gratuitous]

10. Yes, the majority will be made up of the same idiots

The same idiots who can't find an individual right to privacy in the Constitution will have no trouble discerning a right to privacy for corporations, entities that aren't in the Constitution.

[woo me with science]

11. Oh that's rich. AT&T has privacy rights, but we get our genitals groped. nt

[Skittles]

12. this is very serious

it's creeping fascism

[kenny blankenship]

15. I think it has learned to walk upright.

And soon it will be dancing like Fred Astaire.

[hobbit709]

13. Time for all of us to incorporate ourselves.

Then maybe we'll have some rights.

[kenny blankenship]

14. This is the company that helped Bush start his illegal wiretapping of ALL OF YOU.

Bear that in mind.