Report: Verizon providing all call records to U.S. under court order

Report: Verizon providing all call records to U.S. under court order

www.washingtonpost.com

The National Security Agency appears to be collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of American customers of Verizon, one of the nation’s largest phone companies, under a top-
secret court order issued in April.

The order appears to require a Verizon subsidiary to provide the NSA with daily information on all telephone calls by its customers within the United States and from foreign locations into the United States.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This seems to be beyond the pale, but the Wash Post published this based on former US officials' opinion that this looks authentic.

We aren't talking about US to foreign numbers here, we are talking about:

In this case, the order requires Verizon to provide “ongoing, daily” information about “all call detail records . . . created by Verizon for communications between the United States and abroad; or wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls.”

I need to pick my jaw off the floor, and please remember that this isn't 100% confirmed ( I hope this ends up as false), but with the Wash Post feeling strong enough to post an article, I wanted to let the folks on ATS know, and let them make their own assessment on this development.

www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Oh snap I have Verizon... Hopefully this isn't true, however in this day and age I would doubt it...

Not that I have anything to be afraid of, but it's infringed on my privacy rights...

-SAP-

reply to post by SloAnPainful


It's not looking good...

www.cnn.com...

www.politico.com...

www.reuters.com...

People were warned years ago that everything that Bush was doing to destroy the constitution would be taken to the Nth degree by his successor. These people, who were manipulated by lies about arab terrorists coming to kill us all due to our freedoms, ignored these warnings, and looked at Bush as some type of hero until the bottom dropped out from under them in 2008.

Now here we are. Obama has taken the baton, and has run with it.

Well I don't know how the customers of this company feel but if it were me I'd tell them to shove whatever contract I had with them up their directories

You know it's funny, the government pretend to be your friend and do the right thing by you when it's voting time but come non-voting time it's like "well actually we don't really trust you"

reply to post by JacKatMtn


No that doesn't look good at all...

*sigh*

Of course it's my service provider...

-SAP-

I'm not sure if this is good or bad? The NSA is becoming such a super hoover of data and information, world wide, I believe they will eventually hit the brick wall of failure brought by their own success. There is a point where having *SO* much information equates to having nothing much at all for the sheer mess and chaotic jumble it all makes for them. Oh I pity the poor NSA gomers who get assigned to this duty. I don't know who you'd have to piss off or be on the bad side of, but it would surely be punishment details all the way for trying to make any sense from that literal OCEAN of 99% junk.

If they want to become a classic victim of their own arrogant success? Perhaps it's better than seeing them be more selective and actually amass a useful database instead of the Encyclopedia Everythingica.

The Irony:
You scream and scream and scream and you think no one hears you....
and then you find out only the bogyman is listening

well I would say its confirmed as this news is now on ABC's yahoo news. Came here to post it an noticed ya beat me to it

In any case, this is why I only use service with TelMex. tracFone, net-ten and their other brands do not require any of your personal information like ss# or even a real name. Stick to pre-paid guys. You have computers and TV's at home. There is no need to pay over a 100$ a month for a single line just so you can watch tv on your phone wherever you go or have the fastest internets on the go. Its really just pointless drivel and a waste of your hard earned dollars. Hopefully enough people see this that Verizon will suddenly lose a few million customers over the next few weeks.

If people would respond in kind by refusing to do business with companies who continue to follow unconstitutional practices en masse, these companies may actually decide to take these orders to court. Look at it from the $$$$ POV, Verizon would likely spend a lot less in litigation defending our rights then it would in losses from consumers who do not appreciate giving their happy mothers day calls over to some schmuck at the NSA.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Is the NSA data facility nearing completion? Portion ready for ops testing? That place was alleged to be a massive collection point... in Utah if I remember correctly..

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Are the NSA data facilities the same as fusion centers?

-SAP-

reply to post by SloAnPainful


This is the one I was thinking of:

en.wikipedia.org...

Rather confirmed now, now that it's all over the news now MSM and Alt news. I'm sure it will be found that is it not limited to Verizon. Data collection for the Utah supercomputer.

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Is the NSA data facility nearing completion? Portion ready for ops testing? That place was alleged to be a massive collection point... in Utah if I remember correctly..

The Data center in Utah opened today. (June 6th, 2013)

And yes, as one previous poster said, "Stick to prepaid". That is a fine and dandy idea....BUT....Prepaid services such as TracFone and Straight Talk piggy-back on the Verizon National Tower Networks. As far as them not needing your SSN....you still use your CC to buy airtime (if you buy it on their site). This will be a tricky one to get around.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Looks like it'll be open soon..

In surprise to NSA, Utah Data Center may pay tax on electricity

The caption to the drawing of their new facility in the article declares October 2013 as the target for opening of the new NSA Data Center. Add to that, a massive new expansion at the Fort Meade facilities which I did a thread on here awhile back? I think the NSA is going to have acres and acres of new server farm space ...but again with what I said above? How much can they really hoover before the noise overwhelms anything useful? Even keyword searches become worthless if the pool of data is SO large that it's bringing hits back by the hundreds or thousands a day.

I can see value in highly compartmentalized information that would be using terms, names or references the general public would never know to say or string together...but that wouldn't effect us, by definition. Run a keyword search on Nuclear on any given day for the whole Verizon network and prepare to take something for the migraine about to arrive very shortly, I'd say. Just give up and go home early if it happens to be a week North Korea or someone similar is making headlines.

* I saw the post above mine..and this is in a sidebar to the article I link to:

Ribbon-cutting schedule

Invitations have been sent to a select group of Utah politicians and dignitaries inviting them to the Utah Data Center ribbon cutting on May 30. The invitation says the event is unclassified and reporters will be there, but an NSA spokeswoman this week declined to discuss the festivities or say whether the event means the facility will be starting operations. The NSA has previously said the Utah Data Center would be online this fall.

The article is from the Salt Lake City Tribune and dated May 23rd of this year? Hmm.... No Such Agency can't even be clear about an opening date... Go figure.

reply to post by MadDogtheHunter


Thanks for the update on that facility...


another troubling deal from the OP source :

The expert referred to such orders as “rubber stamps” sought by the telephone companies to protect themselves after the disclosure in 2005 that widespread warrantless wiretaps could leave them liable for damages.

If this is true, than it won't be long til ALL of them bow down to the demands of the NSA to relieve them of litigation?

Oh boy... Let me dust off my tin cans and string, I may even start writing snail mail letters and invest in stamps again!! :shk:

Originally posted by MadDogtheHunter

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Is the NSA data facility nearing completion? Portion ready for ops testing? That place was alleged to be a massive collection point... in Utah if I remember correctly..

The Data center in Utah opened today. (June 6th, 2013)

And yes, as one previous poster said, "Stick to prepaid". That is a fine and dandy idea....BUT....Prepaid services such as TracFone and Straight Talk piggy-back on the Verizon National Tower Networks. As far as them not needing your SSN....you still use your CC to buy airtime (if you buy it on their site). This will be a tricky one to get around.

I mentioned this in a different thread and quite frankly saw this coming a long time ago. Have used TMobile or such for years just because the thought of the 3 letter agencies tracking everything turns my stomach. Also just buy a prepaid at Safeway or something and that's it. No contract, not online CC tracking, no worries.

Geez almighty, is there no end to what Obama continues to do?
When will his peeps and followers finally realize what they have done?
Have we passed the point of no return?

reply to post by Zcustosmorum

unfortunately, its not that simple. From the article the government got a court order. Verizon had to comply and it could have been any company in the US that was targeted. Looks like they were using the "we're looking for terrorists" angle to go after leaks.