Monday, May 22, 2006
Phone Companies Fighting Release of Their Gov't Spying Details
As you know from numerous media reports -- first broken by USAToday -- the National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.
The phone companies have issued carefully worded non-denial denials that they are cooperating with the Bush administration in its program of spying on US citizens.
Verizon has told Maine authorities they have no authority to look into what Verizon is doing with Maine citizens' phone records.
AT&T is fighting public release of information on its cooperation with the Bush administration's spying on internet activity, but Wired News released the documentation.
AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth all have big lobbying operations here in Washington. They are already hard at work to try and deflect, or at least shape, the inevitiable Congressional calls for inquiry.
The good news for the phone companies is that they are big enough contributors to enough Republicans, and some Democrats, that any inquiry will be mild and won't impact their activities.
America deserves better than a president who spys on citizens under the guise of catching terrorists. Let's work to restore Democratic majorities in Congress this November.
The phone companies have issued carefully worded non-denial denials that they are cooperating with the Bush administration in its program of spying on US citizens.
Verizon has told Maine authorities they have no authority to look into what Verizon is doing with Maine citizens' phone records.
AT&T is fighting public release of information on its cooperation with the Bush administration's spying on internet activity, but Wired News released the documentation.
AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth all have big lobbying operations here in Washington. They are already hard at work to try and deflect, or at least shape, the inevitiable Congressional calls for inquiry.
The good news for the phone companies is that they are big enough contributors to enough Republicans, and some Democrats, that any inquiry will be mild and won't impact their activities.
America deserves better than a president who spys on citizens under the guise of catching terrorists. Let's work to restore Democratic majorities in Congress this November.
