Verizon Business forced to give call records to the NSA

Verizon Business (NYSE: VZ) has been forced to give its daily call detail records to the U.S National Security Agency, in an order issued shortly after the bombing at the Boston Marathon in April.

As reported by The Guardian, which obtained a copy of the order, the telco must give the NSA information on all telephone calls made on its systems, including those within the United States and between the U.S. and other countries.

However, the four-page report does not cite the reason for the order or if it's part of a "specific investigation."

This order, which was dated April 25, was issued one week after U.S. law enforcement found the two brothers that were responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing. As part of their investigation, authorities were looking at calls made from their phones and one of the brother's laptop computers.

An unnamed senior official in President Obama's administration told Reuters that the court order that The Guardian published relates only to data such as such as a telephone number or the duration of a call, but not who the subscribers are or what was said in those calls.

This official said that this information is "a critical tool in protecting the nation from terrorist threats to the United States."

Neither Verizon nor AT&T (NYSE: T) would comment on the order and there is no indication whether the order will be given to other service providers.

For more:
- see the order
- Reuters has this article

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