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Telecoms named in NSA story say they guard privacyLawsuit filed against Verizon, AP reports
 YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Verizon Communications on Friday would neither confirm nor deny whether it has provided domestic telephone records to the National Security Agency, but the company insisted it protects customer privacy and would never participate in a government "fishing expedition." AT&T also released a statement saying that though it has an "obligation" to assist government agencies "responsible for protecting the public welfare," it does so "strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions" to protect customer privacy. "Beyond that, we don't comment on matters of national security," AT&T said in a statement. Thursday, USA Today reported that Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth have provided the NSA with records of billions of domestic phone calls since shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the report, the NSA doesn't record or listen in on the conversations, but uses data about the calls -- numbers, times and locations -- to look for patterns that might suggest terrorist activity. In the wake of the report, President Bush -- without confirming or denying the existence of such a program -- insisted that NSA intelligence activities are lawful and target only al Qaeda. "The government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval," he said Thursday. "The privacy of ordinary Americans is being fiercely protected." Verizon said it "will provide customer information to a government agency only where authorized by law for appropriately defined and focused purposes." "When that information is provided, Verizon seeks to ensure it is properly used for that purpose and is subject to appropriate safeguards against improper use. Verizon does not, and will not, provide any government agency unfettered access to our customer records, or provide information to the government under circumstances that would allow a fishing expedition." Verizon said it could not comment on the NSA program referred to by Bush because it "is highly classified." "Nor can we confirm or deny whether we have had any relationship to it," the company's statement said. Verizon suedMeanwhile Friday, two attorneys filed suit to stop Verizon from turning over any more records to the NSA without a warrant or consent of the subscriber, according to The Associated Press. "This is the largest and most vast intrusion of civil liberties we've ever seen in the United States," New Jersey attorney Bruce Afran, who sued with attorney Carl Mayer in federal district court in Manhattan, where Verizon is headquartered, told the AP. The lawsuit seeks $1,000 for each violation of the Telecommunications Act, or $5 billion if the case is certified as a class-action, the AP reported. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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