Verizon Communications told Congressional investigators looking into the federal government's domestic eavesdropping scandal, the telco has provided the government with information about customers' call patterns hundreds of times since 2005--without requesting the government obtain a court-ordered warrant for the data. Verizon defended its actions by saying it didn't want to delay security activities in which human lives might be at stake.
Verizon's admission came in a written statement responding to Congressional requests for information. However, it stopped short of saying these actions were performed in the context of a secret domestic spying program. Also, Verizon, AT&T and Qwest all refused to discuss their alleged participation in such a program, saying they need the Bush administration's approval to do so.
For more:
- The Washington Post has more on Verizon's admission
- CNET has this story about the lack of further detail
Related articles:
- Joe Nacchio says the feds punished Qwest for refusing to support a secret spying program