Americans have been in a tug of war over our privacy since our country’s inception, a debate that I think will continue for generations to come.
It’s been a little over a week since alleged whistleblower Edward Snowden told the story that’s been known for years: The National Security Agency (NSA) has been monitoring the Internet and international and domestic phone calls.
On May 11, 2006, USA Today’s Leslie Cauley wrote, “The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA Today.”
Later, on June 30, the newspaper partially recanted the May 11 report writing, “AT&T hasn’t confirmed or denied,” and, “BellSouth and Verizon have denied” their participation with the NSA database.
Two years later Congress would grant retroactive immunity to these telecommunication companies as part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Amendments Act of 2008. Continue Reading






