Big Telcoms Cooperating With The NSA By Choice! WTF?

Source: USA Today

Remember the whole outrage about certain big telecommunciations companies cooperating with the illegal spying on of American's communications? Well, almost every company except Quest bowed down to the NSA's illegal activities.

So we have several large corporations not only aiding and abetting the NSA, they are possibly engaging in illegal corporate behavior, too.

AT&T recently merged with SBC and kept the AT&T name. Verizon, BellSouth and AT&T are the nation's three biggest telecommunications companies; they provide local and wireless phone service to more than 200 million customers.

The three carriers control vast networks with the latest communications technologies. They provide an array of services: local and long-distance calling, wireless and high-speed broadband, including video. Their direct access to millions of homes and businesses has them uniquely positioned to help the government keep tabs on the calling habits of Americans.

Among the big telecommunications companies, only Qwest has refused to help the NSA, the sources said. According to multiple sources, Qwest declined to participate because it was uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer information to the government without warrants.

Qwest's refusal to participate has left the NSA with a hole in its database. Based in Denver, Qwest provides local phone service to 14 million customers in 14 states in the West and Northwest. But AT&T and Verizon also provide some services -- primarily long-distance and wireless -- to people who live in Qwest's region. Therefore, they can provide the NSA with at least some access in that area.

This is a huge smack in the face of every customer that patronizes these companies. You have taken the thing most important to us, our trust and privacy, and freely given it away to an oppressive government that often has very ill intentions towards its people.

Big money telcoms, you have let down every American and are nothing more than U.S. government shills. I'm extremely disappointed, as I'm sure millions other will when this story receives more exposure.

Shame on all of you and your lack of consideration for those most important--us, the customers...more importantly, we the people.

Tags: [big telcoms are cooperating willingly with NSA's illegal wiretapping], [Verizon], [BellSouth], [AT&T], [only Qwest has refused to help the NSA]