AT&T says U.S. government sought surveillance on 35,000 users [telecom]

Dallasnews

AT&T Inc., the largest U.S. phone company, said the American government sought access to the content of more than 35,000 user accounts in the first six months of 2013 under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

The government asked to view the content of communications, such as e-mails and texts, by making fewer than 1,000 requests, AT&T said today in a statement on its website. AT&T also made fewer than 1,000 non-content requests for user information such as names, locations and e-mail addresses. For all of 2013, the Dallas-based company received more than 2,000 national security letters -- which seek information for investigations -- affecting more than 4,000 customer accounts.

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