Well there is no need to give immunity to Telecoms. NSA does not do its interception through telecos and does not need their help. The FBI does, but it is accustomed to getting warrants and is generally well regulated. The other 3 letter agencies can do it via the NSA or FBI.
US carriers providing services to US citizens in the USA should have no immunity from the current laws. All interception of any calls of US citizens should remain illegal without a warrant.
The security services of many countries probably do perform interception operations in other countries if they can find a way to do so (alligator clips on wires!!) but the scale of it is likely to be tiny and therefore concentrated on their most serious problems. The scale of the activities of the NSA are in no way comparable. So what we are doing to them is much worse than what they are doing to us.
I fear that our senators have succumbed to pressure or simply do not understand that there is no technical moral or legal need to provide any indemnities.

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RE: No need for change
As to the first issue, we should all be outraged that the telecoms went along with the warrantless wiretaps, that the administration asked for wiretaps without securing the appropriate warrants, and that the Congress is voting to make the telecoms immune to the backlash.
I agree. When I read that the Senate voted in favor of immunity for telecoms, I was surprised. Well, what actually surprised me was the balance of yea vs nay. So many in favor?
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