Verizon's official response [0] effectively confirmed the allegations. I'm not sure why Verizon "never denying" it is noteworthy in light of their tacit admission:
You may have seen stories in the news about a top secret order Verizon allegedly received to produce certain calling information to the U.S. government.
We have no comment on the accuracy of The Guardian newspaper story or the documents referenced, but a few items in these stories are important. The alleged court order that The Guardian published on its website contains languages that:
- compels Verizon to respond;
- forbids Verizon from revealing the order's existence; and
- excludes from production the "content of any communication . . . or the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer."
Verizon continually takes steps to safeguard its customers' privacy. Nevertheless, the law authorizes the federal courts to order a company to provide information in certain circumstances, and if Verizon were to receive such an order, we would be required to comply.
You're confusing Verizon's response in the last week with Verizon's response in 2006.
The article talks about the 2006-era responses from AT&T and Verizon. The one in the last week isn't especially interesting when you have the NSA director and multiple senators confirming the phone log collection exists.
You may have seen stories in the news about a top secret order Verizon allegedly received to produce certain calling information to the U.S. government.
We have no comment on the accuracy of The Guardian newspaper story or the documents referenced, but a few items in these stories are important. The alleged court order that The Guardian published on its website contains languages that:
- compels Verizon to respond;
- forbids Verizon from revealing the order's existence; and
- excludes from production the "content of any communication . . . or the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer."
Verizon continually takes steps to safeguard its customers' privacy. Nevertheless, the law authorizes the federal courts to order a company to provide information in certain circumstances, and if Verizon were to receive such an order, we would be required to comply.
[0]: http://publicpolicy.verizon.com/blog/entry/from-the-desk-of-...