The Washington Post reports that Verizon has been turning over customers’ cell phone records to the federal government, without court orders. That means that all the FBI had to do was ask nicely.

This incident is illustrative of the purposes for which people use their personal power. Someone at Verizon is voluntarily giving this information to the government. Someone receives the request and makes the data transfer. Maybe that person really believes in the government’s authority to spy on the populace without a warrant. I think it’s more likely that that person “is just doing his job”.

I am also interested in the legality of this whole thing. Could Verizon customers sue? According to the Washington Post:

Carriers are facing a raft of lawsuits from individuals and privacy advocates, such as the EFF and the American Civil Liberties Union, for allegedly violating Americans’ privacy by aiding the NSA’s warrantless surveillance program.

The federal government has intervened, arguing that to continue the case would divulge “state secrets,” jeopardizing national security.

The Senate Intelligence Committee could draft a bill this week that includes relief for the carriers. The administration is seeking blanket immunity, which would extend to anyone sued for assisting the government — not just telecom carriers — in its post-Sept. 11 surveillance programs.

Yikes. A bill like the one described above would mean that companies would not have to fear reprisals for handing out clients’ personal information. So since a warrant is no longer required and companies may no longer be required to honor their contracts, the only barrier between the federal government and your information would be personal power. A company would have to take a stand and refuse to give up the data without a court order. Since Google knows pretty much everything about me (and you), let’s hope it lives up to its promise not to be evil and others follow suit.