Verizon's Cancels Service Because You Called South Korea

And so I thought this was my indoctrination into the Bush Administration’s new surveillance Protect America Act — the one that allows the tapping without warrants of telephone calls and e-mail routed through the U.S. Must admit I was nervous. I didn’t think that explaining to a South Korean media consultant, new media policies and advertising applications in the televisual realm in the U.S., was a breach of intelligence vital to the security of my fellow Americans.

By post, Thursday Aug. 23, an officious letter, dated Aug. 17, from Verizon arrives:

“Account Number: xxxxxxx (to protect my identity) Service Number: (left blank)

Dear Verizon customer

In an effort to protect customers, Verizon investigates and quickly attempts to notify customers of any unusual usage on their Verizon accounts. This usage may include invoiced or unbilled long distance charges. We have noticed unusual usage on your account, but have been unable to contact you by phone to verify the validity of the charges.

Your service has been interrupted as a security measure….”

Verizon: A socially toxic and irresponsible, Outsourcing telecom Conglomerate wrapped in James Earl Jones Voice

[...]

Shubert's lawyer, Ivann Mazell, made an impassioned argument that the government was trying to overuse the state secrets privilege, which Mazell said must be balanced against Americans' constitutional rights.

"According to the government's arguments, there is nothing to stop the exec from putting a bug in every bedroom," Mazell said. "They believe there is a national security exemption to Fourth amendment. The court is here to set a limit on unchecked executive power."

Verizon lawyer Henry Weissmann argued that the privacy rules that largely bar phone companies from turning over records to the government were unconstitutional.

"Communicating information to the government would be speech. Providing information to law enforcement would be petitioning," Weissmann said. "The plaintiff say there was too much speech, that too many records were provided."

[...]

The majority of the more than 50 anti-spying suits consolidated in Walker's courtroom are now on hold until the appeals court rules, but Verizon and the government moved to dismiss their case on the grounds that the earlier ruling did not apply to their case.

Judge Walker closed the two-and-a-half hour hearing without ruling, saying only to the lawyers that "I probably won’t see you all until we get some guidance from the Ninth Circuit."

Like other right wing scum their argument amounts to an unfounded claim that they are exempt from laws.

Verizon: A socially toxic and irresponsible, Outsourcing telecom Conglomerate wrapped in James Earl Jones Voice