[IP] Uh? Verizon Issues Statement on NSA and Privacy Protection
Begin forwarded message:
From: Alice Kehoe <akehoe@xxxxxxx>
Date: May 13, 2006 8:10:48 PM EDT
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: brendan@xxxxxxx, derry <derry@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Verizon Issues Statement on NSA and Privacy Protection
Dave - For IP, if you wish. As a Verizon customer, for the moment, I
find rather small comfort in this statement; to me, it smacks of
Dubya's "trust me" attitude. Simply not good enough, by several
miles. --A :(
Verizon Issues Statement on NSA and Privacy Protection
May 12, 2006
Media contact:
Peter Thonis, 212-395-2355
NEW YORK -- Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) today issued the
following statement:
The President has referred to an NSA program, which he authorized,
directed against al-Qaeda. Because that program is highly classified,
Verizon cannot comment on that program, nor can we confirm or deny
whether we have had any relationship to it.
Having said that, there have been factual errors in press coverage
about the way Verizon handles customer information in general.
Verizon puts the interests of our customers first and has a
longstanding commitment to vigorously safeguard our customers’
privacy -- a commitment we’ve highlighted in our privacy principles,
which are available at www.verizon.com/privacy.
Verizon will provide customer information to a government agency only
where authorized by law for appropriately-defined and focused
purposes. When information is provided, Verizon seeks to ensure it is
properly used for that purpose and is subject to appropriate
safeguards against improper use. Verizon does not, and will not,
provide any government agency unfettered access to our customer
records or provide information to the government under circumstances
that would allow a fishing expedition.
In January 2006, Verizon acquired MCI, and we are ensuring that
Verizon’s policies are implemented at that entity and that all its
activities fully comply with law.
Verizon hopes that the Administration and the Congress can come
together and agree on a process in an appropriate setting, and with
safeguards for protecting classified information, to examine any
issues that have been raised about the program. Verizon is fully
prepared to participate in such a process.
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