Verizon Sued ($5 Billion) For Giving Records To NSA - Seattle PI

[WillyT]

<snip>

TRENTON, N.J. -- Two New Jersey public interest lawyers sued Verizon Communications Inc. for $5 billion Friday, claiming the phone carrier violated privacy laws by turning over phone records to the National Security Agency for a secret government surveillance program.

Attorneys Bruce Afran and Carl Mayer filed the lawsuit Friday afternoon in federal district court in Manhattan, where Verizon is headquartered. The lawsuit asks the court to stop Verizon from turning over any more records to the NSA without a warrant or consent of the subscriber. "This is the largest and most vast intrusion of civil liberties we've ever seen in the United States," Afran said of the NSA program.

USA Today reported on Thursday that the NSA has been building a database of millions of Americans' everyday telephone calls since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Verizon, along with AT&T Corp. and BellSouth Corp., complied, the newspaper reported.

The lawsuit claims that by turning over the records to the government, Verizon violated the Telecommunications Act and the Constitution. Verizon, the country's largest telecommunications company by revenue, said in a statement that the company had not yet seen the lawsuit and, because of that, believed it was premature to comment.

<snip>

Link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1310AP_NSA_Records_Verizon.html

GOOD!!!

:toast::nuke::toast:

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. The problem with the "consent" issue

All Verizon has to do is send out an insert in people's phone bills with lots and lots of tiny, densely packed type. In that type is a statement saying, "We will presume your consent to give the NSA and any other government agency any information they want, when they want. To opt out, visit our website and find the hidden link we have buried underneath a dozen web pages; it will take you to a very badly designed page that must be filled in completely, including the affidavit attesting that you are a traitor to The Almighty President Bush."

Future problems solved.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Future problems, maybe, but they'll pay for their past behavior.

"...it will take you to a very badly designed page that must be filled in completely..."...too true.

PB

[WillyT]

3. Sounds About Right...

I'd love ta see people leave Verizon in droves, however.

:evilgrin::hi::evilgrin:

[Lefty48197]

4. SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

Drag those f*cking Republicans into court and put them under oath, then toss them in jail after they're convicted.

[Grateful for Hope]

5. Good news.

I sent an email to Verizon yesterday telling them I wanted to cancel my landline because of their compliance with the NSA.

Got this response today (seems I have to call and cancel in person, which I will). What strikes me is that they really can't defend themselves because their involvement with the NSA is highly classified. Whatever. They are losing a customer.

"Dear xxxxxxx,

Thank you for contacting the Verizon eCenter. My name is Anne, and I will be
handling your request today.

This message is in response to your email dated May 11, 2006. You inquired about
wanting to disconnect your telephone service due to the recent NSA article. I
will be happy to assist you.

I understand how important keeping your account secure is to you.

We appreciate that the USA Today article and other reports about the possibility
that the NSA is able to analyze local call data records is causing concern.
Please be assured that Verizon places the highest value on protecting the
privacy of our customers.

Anything to do with the NSA is of course highly classified, so we can not
comment on whether or not the news article causing concern is even accurate. But
we can say that, to the extent that we cooperate with government authorities, we
are confident that we are complying with all applicable statutes. We appreciate
the continuing opportunity to provide you with service.

I regret that I am not able to handle your request through email. We have
specialists that can help you with the cancellation of your telephone service.
Please contact us directly at [phone] and our specialists will be happy
to assist you.

The department to which we have referred you will be able to assist you. If you
have any additional questions, please let us know. We look forward to serving
you.

Thank you for using Verizon. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
Anne
Verizon eCenter"

[madmark]

6. well that was an opaque response with exception of the denial of

the violation of statutes.

[Grateful for Hope]

10. Sure it was.

Can we prove this?

[CatWoman]

8. Can I have Jake and Spidey?

:D

[Grateful for Hope]

9. I would have to ask them

but, thank you for asking!

[ShortnFiery]

17. Fuck CLASSIFIED ... you had NO right to give away our Civil Liberties! n/t

[primavera]

21. I got a pretty much identical response

Now if I can only figure out to whom to turn for a land line. From the sound of it, qwest is about the only major carrier to have declined to participate in this and I don't have access to qwest services here in DC. Is there any other service provider who hasn't shared in this crime?

[CatWoman]

7. bwwahahahaha

that was FAST!!!


:)

[WillyT]

11. I Felt The Same Way...

Hey Beautiful!!!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[CatWoman]

12. heh

let's see how much personal info these bastards cough up when their asses are in front of a judge!!

:hi:

[IndyJones]

13. Yeah for them! I hope the lawsuits keep pouring in.

[ShortnFiery]

14. Yes, let's sue these bastards who gave away our liberties! n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. Serves the Traitors right! They deserve too be sued!

[mmonk]

16. Bravo

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Rainscents]

18. I hope these fuckers go down big time!!!

Next... SouthBell and AT&T?????????????????????????

[Initech]

19. $5 billion? Can I get in on this suit?

I am a pissed off Verizon customer and I almost cancelled my service over this.

[survivor999]

20. Working Assets

I got this from them today so I thought I'd share it. They seem a good company that supports liberal causes (meaning, a percentage of your bill goes to those causes). Might be a good idea to switch to them (I have no affiliation with them and would like suggestions for other potential companies to switch to)...

>>
WORKING ASSETS ISSUES UPDATE: May 12, 2006

You are receiving this newsletter because you are a Working Assets
customer.

---------------

** SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT **

A Message From Working Assets' President

In light of new revelations about the big telecommunications carriers'
handing over domestic calling records to the National Security Agency,
I am writing to let you know where Working Assets stands on the NSA's
increasingly alarming activities.

Working Assets believes that the warrantless monitoring of phone
conversations ordered by the Bush administration is illegal and
unacceptable. As reported yesterday in USA Today (linked below), AT&T,
Bell South and Verizon sold customer call records to the NSA. We also
unequivocally oppose the disclosure of domestic calling records to the
NSA by our nation's telecommunications providers. Working Assets would
never, under any circumstances, give (let alone sell) records to the
Bush administration without a warrant or court order.

In fact, as Working Assets' President, I recently signed on to an
amicus brief supporting the ACLU's law suit against the National
Security Agency. We are the only telephone company participating in
this lawsuit.
(Details: http://values.workingassets.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/em5o0E7cHd0TJ70BGOs0Eh .)

Working Assets has never been approached by any government agency
seeking our help in illegally accessing the content of conversations
by our customers, and we would refuse any such request. We are
actively engaged in opposing warrantless monitoring, in pushing for
full disclosure by the government regarding the scope of the
monitoring, and in protecting citizens from intrusive and illegal
exercises of governmental power. Additionally, we are fighting Bush's
nomination of General Michael V. Hayden, the architect of the NSA's
illegal wiretapping program, to head the CIA.
(Click here to take action:
http://values.workingassets.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/em5o0E7cHd0TJ70BGOt0Ei .)

If you are a member of AT&T (including Cingular and SBC), Bell South
or Verizon, your telecom company willingly sold the private telephone
records of American citizens to the Bush administration's illegal
domestic spying operation. Please contact your provider now, and let
them know that this is simply unacceptable.

- Contact AT&T: http://www.consumer.att.com/contact?source=body
- Contact Verizon: http://www22.verizon.com/CustomerSupport/ContactUs/
- Contact BellSouth: http://www.bellsouth.com/contactus/index.html

You can also find out more about Working Assets Wireless and Working
Assets Long Distance at http://www.workingassets.com.

You may also be interested in a new book we are publishing, entitled
How Would A Patriot Act?, a compelling analysis of how the NSA's
wiretapping fits into a larger scheme by the Bush Administration to
violate Constitutional restrictions on executive authority in an
unprecedented manner. Click here to find out more about the book:
http://values.workingassets.com/cgi-bin7/DM/y/em5o0E7cHd0TJ70BGOu0Ej

As a telecommunications company, it is our special privilege to
facilitate communications among our fellow citizens, to enable
conversations on matters personal, commercial, social and political.
It is therefore our special obligation to oppose warrantless
interference into those communications, whatever the government's
justification may be. We will keep you posted on new developments as
they arise.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Michael Kieschnick, President
Working Assets

P.S. -- Please use our ActForChange site to tell your Representative in
Congress you want some answers -- under oath -- about the telecom
companies' cooperation with the NSA's illegal domestic wiretapping
program. Click here:
http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/action.cfm?itemid=20797&afccode=n55txt

-------
USA Today -- NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-10-nsa_x.htm
-------


PLEASE SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO:
[e-mail]

[primavera]

22. Working Assets is great, but they only offer wireless and long distance

I switched to them a while ago and have been really happy with them, but, unfortunately, they don't offer local service or high speed internet, so I've had to continue supporting those Verizon nazi asswipes with at least some of my business. I have got to find some other provider for local service.