Personal privacy exemption isn’t applicable to AT&T and any other company

The US Supreme Court ruled this week that AT&T as well as other corporations have no protection of privacy rights against disclosure of federal government records about them.

The decision of the justices was unanimous against a ruling by a U.S. appeals court for the telecommunications company that corporations can assert personal privacy in claiming the records should be exempt from disclosure.

In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts the high court expressed its consent with the Obama administration's argument that the personal privacy exemption under the Freedom of Information law applied only to individuals, not to corporations.

Advocates of public interests supported the government. They said that under AT&T's position, government records could be withheld about coal mine safety violations, offshore oil rig problems, dirty conditions at food manufacturing plants and questionable investment bank financial dealings.

Meantime, business groups shared the position of AT&T and said corporations have long enjoyed a range of rights, including privacy rights.

AT&T argued the Federal Communications Commission should keep secret all records about it during an investigation into its participation in the federal E-Rate program, which helps schools and libraries get Internet access.

AT&T told the FCC in 2004 that an internal investigation had revealed certain irregularities in the company's billings to a Connecticut school under the program.