Trust AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth?
May 11th, 2006 by tkarr |
AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth want us to trust that they’ll be good stewards of Internet freedom. Meanwhile, they’re selling out ordinary Americans to the National Security Agency.
A report in Thursday’s USA Today tells how these three carriers secretly provided to the NSA the phone call records of tens of millions of people — most of whom aren’t suspected of any crime.
These companies apparently have no qualms about betraying customer trust — or breaking federal law.
According to the report, Section 222 of the Communications Act, prohibits companies from giving out information regarding their customers’ calling habits: whom a person calls, how often and what routes those calls take to reach their final destination, and who calls in to the number. When asked about their potentially illegal handover of this personal information, AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth declined to comment, citing “national security matters.”
Now they are asking Congress to strip away Net Neutrality protections so they can become benevolent overlords of the World Wide Web.
Now they are asking Congress to strip away Net Neutrality protections so they can become benevolent overlords of the World Wide Web.
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Would you trust these corporations with your Internet?
Tom Tauke, Verizon executive vice president of public affairs thinks you should. Earlier this week, he swore up and down that the telephone giant would never deny consumers access to what they want on the Internet. Tauke said that doing so would be “akin to Starbucks hatching a plan to secretly serve customers Folgers crystals.”
We’re not talking about coffee, Tom. Internet freedom is not a commodity for Verizon’s to sell off to the highest bidder. The only thing that Verizon is “secretly serving customers” is a lie about improved choices and innovation. And they’re asking Congress to pass a law that allows them to become gatekeepers to the information superhighway.
Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth maintain networks that reach into the homes and businesses of tens of millions of Americans. These companies built this access to our private lives — and the billions in revenues that come with it — on a “bedrock principle” of consumer protection.
Now, that they’ve sold out this trust to help the government monitor ordinary Americans, how credible are their claims that no Net Neutrality safeguards are necessary?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:06 am
That shows people how much ISPs, telephone companies, and money lovers really care about the people of America. Giving out private information without our permission. These corporations really care about the decloration of independance, bill of rights, and freedoms. Taking away our rights as Americans, taking away our freedom of speech all in the name of money. It’s not right. Our government should realize whats more important money or Democracy.
May 12th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
FYI- The link in your blogroll titled “The Opine” is broken. The url is
http://www.opinenetwork.com.
May 12th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
… is anybody REALLY surprised? Corporations (generally) go towards the greatest potential for profit. Ergo, dangle the possibility of money or of nice government contracts in front of them, and it’s “Privacy? What’s that?”.
Meanwhile, bureaucrats like to consolidate power. Show them an opportunity to gain greater control over or information about the general public (as individuals and as a group) and they’ll jump for it.
Incidentally, when you take this program in context… so, the government has a target (may it be a terrorist suspect, political opponent, or whistleblowing journalist… don’t laugh — it’s quite the possibility, either now or down the road a bit…). They then consult this database to find out everyone they come in contact with. Hmmm… is that the private number of a federal employee who might’ve been a whistleblower? Or perhaps we could tap the phones of a political opponent’s friends and family to see what we can find?
There’s hardware at central switchboards to allow the owner of the lines to listen in to just about any call they might care to — what protects any particular call is anonymity and the sheer mass of calls.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
I’d love to rip the telcos for this one, but the fact is you can go out and purchase peoples’ phone records on the Internet. So if that’s legal, it’s hard to believe the NSA can’t also legally acquire those records… just my 2c.
May 14th, 2006 at 9:45 am
I just got a voicemail message Saturday morning that was sent Monday. I guess my provider Verizon was too busy this week providing my records to the NSA to worry about good service. Now when I look at those commercials with all those people standing behind the Verizon customer representing, “the network,” I wonder just how many of them are NSA agents spying on the customer for the government?
http://arevolutionofone.blogspot.com/2006/05/verizon-its-first-amendment_13.html
May 14th, 2006 at 9:48 am
“I’d love to rip the telcos for this one, but the fact is you can go out and purchase peoples’ phone records on the Internet. So if that’s legal, it’s hard to believe the NSA can’t also legally acquire those records.” -directorblue
So, directorblue, why not rip the telcos and the people who make your records available over the internet? Both are an invasion of your privacy and should never happen.
May 17th, 2006 at 1:15 am
I wish all the telco’s would have told W bush and his lawbreaking anti US constitution right wing nuts to take a flying phuck at themselves. i just have 1 question is it 2008 yet????