I waited two weeks more than I said I would to see if Verizon would do or say anything to back up their public statement that they didn't give private phone records to the government. I can't find their exact statement (and I searched their web site extensively) so I called them.
I said I was concerned about the NSA domestic spying and Verizon's involvement and wanted t o cancel my service. The representative knew exactly what I was talking about and asked if I had seen their statement. I said I had seen what was reported and that they had not said they had not given records to the government but that they had not done so 'in mass'. I said QWest had stated they had been asked by the government and had refused. I said it sounded like Verizon had provided the government access to phone records without authorization. Then I asked another question...
I asked if she could tell me if my phone number had been given to the government as part of this NSA operation. She said she had no idea but their policy is not to do so. I asked if she could provide me with any information that phone numbers were not given to the government and she said 'I can only provide the company's public statement.' In other words, they could not reassure me and I cancelled the landline. Then I went looking for their 'public statement'. Couldn't find it on their site but found plenty of interesting bits
Verizon enables customers to control how and if Verizon discloses individual information about them to other persons or entities, except as required by law or to protect the safety of customers, employees or property.
Subject to legal and safety exceptions, Verizon will share individual customer information only with persons or entities outside the company when the customer has consented, or when we have advised the customer of the opportunity to "opt-out" (to choose not to have the information disclosed).
An example of when Verizon would disclose individual customer information to an outside entity is when Verizon is served with valid legal process for customer information. In such cases, we are required to release the information. We are also required by law to provide billing name and address information to a customer's long distance carrier and other telephone companies to allow them to bill for telecommunications services. (By law, customers with non-published or unlisted service have the right not to have their billing name and address disclosed when they make a calling card call or accept a collect or third party call. However, if they do restrict disclosure, they will be unable to make calling card calls or accept collect and third party calls.)
Similarly, we are required to provide directory publishers with listings information -- name, address and phone number -- for purposes of publishing and delivering directories. In addition, under certain circumstances, our telephone company shares customer information with other carriers and with law enforcement to prevent and investigate fraud and other unlawful use of communications services.
In other words, dropping the weasel language..that last part 'other unlawful use of communications services' would seem to cover a lot of ground...as in, if the government tells us there may be unlawful activity, we might disclose. But that means Verizon said, sure, millions of Americans are doing unlawful acts. And the 'legal process' they were served with? Near as we can tell a President say so is enough. What else do they say about protecting our privacy?
Verizon | CSR | Protecting Customer Privacy
Our privacy principles are based on four core premises: (1) customers must be provided with notice of how their information is being managed; (2) customers must be provided with a choice as to whether or not they want their information disclosed; (3) customers must be allowed access to information Verizon has collected about them to ensure the accuracy of that information; and (4) Verizon must undertake reasonable security measures to ensure that customer information is managed in a way that ...
Anybody from Verizon (or AT&T or BellSouth) ask you if it was ok? Didn't think so.
We recognize that our customers may have varying concerns regarding the information we obtain about them. Our Privacy Principles give our customers choice and flexibility regarding how we use that information. And these Principles guide our employees in handling customer information so that private information remains private.
Varying concerns? private info is private? Not so much.
At Verizon, we're committed to safeguarding customer privacy. We require our employees, partners and suppliers to protect the privacy of information about our customers. We're putting customers first -- and that's the key to Verizon's success in this dynamic marketplace.
http://www22.verizon.com/...
Well, here's to a little less success. I stayed with Verizon for years, mostly because they are union and I respect unions. Unions brought us the weekend and built the middle class in this country and they deserve more support then they have received lately in Bush's country. But this whole domestic spying, Total Information Program is over the top and clearly something needs to be done and not sweep this issue aside in the scandal of the day.
Well, the real protectors of our civil liberties, that would be the ACLU, is taking Verizon to the cleaners with help from my state's PUC...
PORTLAND, ME -- In a 44-page response to the Maine Public Utilities Commission today, Verizon refused to confirm or deny cooperation in the illegal National Security Agency program, arguing that the Public Utilities Commission lacks the authority to investigate whether Verizon has provided NSA access to its customer records and its switching machines in Maine.
Verizon also invoked a "state secrets" argument that national security concerns preclude disclosure of any information. The state secrets privilege, when properly invoked, permits the government to block disclosure of information that would cause harm to national security. The government has increasingly used this privilege to wrongly dismiss lawsuits that might expose serious wrongdoing and security lapses, the ACLU said.
"We were surprised to see Verizon make the state secrets argument because only the government, not private entities, can assert that privilege," said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union. "Use of the state secrets argument indicates that Verizon lawyers may have worked closely with federal government lawyers in drafting a response to the commission....News reports indicate that at least three telecommunications companies -- Verizon, BellSouth, and AT&T -- have complied with requests from the NSA to turn over the calling records of millions of customers across the nation. Verizon subsequently issued a narrowly tailored denial of participation. Verizon's response to the Commission today appears to undercut its earlier statements because it does not clearly deny participation in the program, the ACLU said.
"Mainers deserve to know if calls are being monitored by the government," said Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, "No one - not the federal government and not Verizon - is above the law."
Congress also has the authority to investigate the National Security Agency surveillance program. To date, however, neither Senator Collins nor Senator Snowe have called for such an investigation.
Like Maine's twins would do anything about this. The ACLU is doing something and I urge support.
You want to DO something about it?
http://www.aclu.org/...