AT&T reportedly helped the NSA spy on internet traffic

ATT
(Image credit: Etienne Franchi/AFP/Getty Images)

The National Security Agency has been able to spy on a massive amount of internet traffic due to a partnership with AT&T dating back to 1985, ProPublica and The New York Times reported Saturday based on documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

It's been reported before that telecommunications companies cooperated with the NSA, but new documents specifically highlight AT&T's "extreme willingness to help."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.