Verizon employees accessed Obama’s mobile phone account

Back in the day, when Verizon was known as Bell Atlantic, you’d've got fired. I remember a girl in repair that got caught listening in on her own phone line from work, she thought her husband was cheating on her and she was right. Too bad it cost her her job to find out.

It is a good thing the last time we had phone companies spying on Americans like this, we prosecuted all the guilty parties, in order to send a strong message that this sort of behaviour will not stand. Oh wait, NFM.

“What is required for private communications to remain private?”

Too late. That horse has left the barn.

I’m surprised they were not immediately fired as they should be.

Put on leave with pay? WTF ?

This info sounds bogus. The problem is only the politicians. Normal folks do not do sleazy things, right?

Cheney and W have been on the other end for years. Whats new here ?

Private? He’s a Senator for goodness sakes. He’s given a government phone with the necessary security, but chooses to use a Blackberry because ….??? He doesn’t want to be monitored or has something to hide. (I doubt either, just likes the cool technology).

But as President, everything *must* be monitored, stored and cataloged for later use in his Presidential Library.

“Too late. That horse has left the barn.”

Little by little people become accustomed to the loss of their privacy and other rights, because they allow it to happen.

Too late? Screw That Attitude!

Start throwing top management in jail, and that goes double for politicians that take away our rights for ANY REASON.

I work for a phone company (not saying who). They need to put a lock on the records for his account so not every employee can access.

Of course that just screens out the majority of employees. Some one will always have the permission level to access. You just want to limit it and put flags when it is accessed.

This is no different than people at the DMV, your bank, your health care providers, etc. There will be and always has been someone who can look at sensitive info. Management has the responsibility though to manage who does it though and when.

#19 – Paddy-O

To keep out the curiosity seekers or those looking for dirt.

I like the companies I deal with that ask for something personal so they can access your account. Something like the last 4 digits of your SSN or maybe a security question like when retrieving a forgotten website password.

This story doesn’t sound like anything sinister. But with some simple system restrictions, it might have been avoided. And those that breached the trust should be fired for violating the terms of employment we all agree to.

# 20 EvilPoliticians said, “To keep out the curiosity seekers or those looking for dirt.”

They should do it for ALL accounts. Not just people who work for me and get paid by me. Like elected officials

Well, that certainly killed off any chance that he will be able to use personal email for as long as he is in office.

Way to go Verizon, you just pissed off the next Prez. I hope you don’t have any legislative issues up for consideration the next 8 years.

Don

Now I think I understand why they took Obama’s Blackberry away.

I wish my boss let me leave with pay for a few days.

#11 – Paddy-RAMBO

>>Didn’t Omama vote for FISA so he should have
>>NO problem with this.

Uh, Paddy-RAMBO, the FISA court has been around since 1978, when Obama was 17. I doubt he was voting FOR anything that year.

What he DID vote for was to remove the decision on snooping from the president, and give it back to the FISA court where it belongs.

There’s nothing wrong with FISA; it’s just that mockery of the Constitution that Dumbya turned it into a get-out-of-jail card for people who would otherwise be considered felons.

So it’s Ok for Verizon to snoop on everyone else’s calls, in the name of National Security. And they are thus protected from public law suits, as government contractors. But just don’t let anyone snoop out of naive curiously. And especially on someone important.

How do we know that this wasn’t trumped up by Verizon, to bypass their labor union? And get a whole bunch of workers let go for a fictional offense? It just seems to me VERY convenient timing. Like a witch hunt, that saves them paying out retirement benefits. And is this also more Obama bashing? Cause apparently nobody listened in on McCain’s calls. But I quess after Palin’s emails leaked, they needed something to balance it.

Obama is an elected official who’s now on call 24/7. For him there is now no longer “personal” time. Every single word he utters for the next 4 years should be recorded for posterity.

#31 – ‘dro

>>#30 The day is not over until MM rationalizes
>>crap.

“rationalizes crap”? Do you have something to say, ‘dro, or are you just trying out your English skills?

I didn’t “rationalize” anything. I merely pointed out to Paddy-RAMBO that Obama was a teenager when the FISA act was passed by Congress, and that the only effect he’s had on the legislation has been to undo some of the damage Dumbya infliced on the Constitution.

Got that, m’hijito?

I once cut the strings on my boss’s golden parachute.

Hey It is a known fact that all Verizon emplyees have access to all verizon records.. Wireless or not.. My wife works there and she says that they can see all records.. DSL wireless or phone.. The way to keep your info private is not to have anything with a company.. Verizon like many companys strive to keep all records private, but all you have to do is search for the acct.. Theres no real way to win