Report: Obama gives AT&T, others immunity to monitor Internet traffic

The Department of Justice gave immunity to AT&T (NYSE:T) and other Internet service providers that participated in a new cyber security monitoring program from the government. The action gave the providers legal authority to monitor and intercept communications traffic, according to documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The center provided the documents to CNET, which first broke the story. According to the report, the documents indicate the Justice Department secretly gave AT&T and other ISPs so-called "2511 letters" that granted them immunity from prosecution for activities that otherwise would have violated federal wiretapping laws. The cyber security program started out as a pilot project to allow the military to monitor defense contractors' Internet links. According to CNET, however, President Obama has since expanded the program to cover all critical infrastructure sectors including energy, healthcare, and finance starting June 12. Article