Verizon to Publish Reports on NSA Data Requests

Move will put pressure on AT&T to do the same
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2013 7:27 PM CST
Verizon to Publish Reports on NSA Data Requests
Verizon headquarters in lower Manhattan.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The NSA's ability to continue its tech snooping as in the pre-Snowden days just took another hit. Verizon promises to start publishing reports on all the data requests it gets from the government and law-enforcement agencies, reports Reuters. The first online report will be out early next year. Given that Verizon is the nation's biggest wireless provider, the Washington Post sees this as "setting a significant precedent" in the telecom industry—and it will surely raise pressure on AT&T to follow suit.

Shareholders in both companies recently called for such disclosure reports, similar to those already issued by Internet giants such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft, notes Time. After the Verizon announcement, an AT&T spokesman told AP that "while we have disclosed a lot of information in this area, we are always exploring ways to do more." The development follows a federal judge's ruling that the NSA data mining is "almost certainly unconstitutional," and a presidential panel's recommendations that the White House curtail the agency's sweeping powers. (More Verizon stories.)

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