Thursday, 4:30 PM
ACLU calls for hearing on phone call monitoring
By Stephanie Peters, Globe correspondent
The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today called on the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy to hold a public hearing on their May complaint against Verizon and AT&T for their roles in aiding government spying.
The initial complaint was filed May 24 on behalf of the mayors of Newton, Somerville, Chicopee, and Northampton and alleges the phone companies disclosed call records of their Massachusetts customers without the customers' knowledge or authorization. The phone companies asked the DTE to dismiss the complaint on the grounds of "state secrets," however state law requires the DTE to hold a public hearing if a complaint is filed on behalf of any mayor.
Similar battles between branches of the ACLU and the federal government and private telephone companies are ongoing in Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the Bush administration's program to monitor phone calls and e-mails of Americans without warrants is unconstitutional.
