Verizon's latest press release (from today)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> NEWS RELEASE
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic15835.jpg)
>
>
>
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               Media contact:
> May 16, 2006                                    Peter Thonis
>                                           212-395-2355
>                                           peter.thonis () verizon com
>
>
>
>               Verizon Issues Statement on NSA Media Coverage
>
>       NEW YORK -- Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) today  
> issued the
>
>
> following statement regarding news coverage about the NSA program  
> which the
>
>
> President has acknowledged authorizing against al-Qaeda:
>
>
>
>
>
>       As the President has made clear, the NSA program he acknowledged
>
>
> authorizing against al-Qaeda is highly-classified.  Verizon cannot  
> and will
>
>
> not comment on the program.  Verizon cannot and will not confirm or  
> deny
>
>
> whether it has any relationship to it.
>
>
>       That said, media reports made claims about Verizon that are  
> simply
>
>
> false.
>
>
>       One of the most glaring and repeated falsehoods in the media
>
>
> reporting is the assertion that, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,
>
>
> Verizon was approached by NSA and entered into an arrangement to  
> provide
>
>
> the NSA with data from its customers’ domestic calls.
>
>
>       This is false.  From the time of the 9/11 attacks until just  
> four
>
>
> months ago, Verizon had three major businesses – its wireline phone
>
>
> business, its wireless company and its directory publishing  
> business.  It
>
>
> also had its own Internet Service Provider and long-distance  
> businesses.
>
>
> Contrary to the media reports, Verizon was not asked by NSA to  
> provide, nor
>
>
> did Verizon provide, customer phone records from any of these  
> businesses,
>
>
> or any call data from those records.  None of these companies –  
> wireless or
>
>
> wireline – provided customer records or call data.
>
>
>       Another error is the claim that data on local calls is being  
> turned
>
>
> over to NSA and that simple “calls across town” are being  
> “tracked.”  In
>
>
> fact, phone companies do not even make records of local calls in  
> most cases
>
>
> because the vast majority of customers are not billed per call for  
> local
>
>
> calls.  In any event, the claim is just wrong.  As stated above,  
> Verizon’s
>
>
> wireless and wireline companies did not provide to NSA customer  
> records or
>
>
> call data, local or otherwise.
>
>
>       Again, Verizon cannot and will not confirm or deny whether it  
> has any
>
>
> relationship to the classified NSA program.  Verizon always stands  
> ready,
>
>
> however, to help protect the country from terrorist attack.  We owe  
> this
>
>
> duty to our fellow citizens.  We also have a duty, that we have always
>
>
> fulfilled, to protect the privacy of our customers.  The two are  
> not in
>
>
> conflict.  When asked for help, we will always make sure that any
>
>
> assistance is authorized by law and that our customers’ privacy is
>
>
> safeguarded.



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