Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: Verizon, Obama, Cell, Phone | Themes: Smartphones, Networking, Business
Verizon Wireless has released a statement admitting that several employees had accessed President-elect Barack Obama’s private cellphone records without authorization.
Verizon yesterday released a statement from its CEO and President, Lowell McAdam, who confirmed that employees had accessed an old account belonging to Barack Obama. The account is no longer in use and McAdam detailed that it was not a BlackBerry or smartphone capable of receiving email but a “simple voice flip-phone.”
Mr. McAdam said that the employees in question had been suspended with pay and the appropriate sanctions will be decided on a case by case basis. While he did not say whether or not those in the wrong would be fired, McAdam said those who had a legitimate reason to access Obama’s phone records would be reinstated right away.
According to Reuters, an Obama Aide has said that no voicemails were breached in the incident. The news follows last week’s report that the President-elect will have to surrender his BlackBerry as part of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. The Act requires that all presidential correspondence must be in the public record.
Below is the full statement from Verizon. We’ll update as soon as they start sacking or reinstating people.
“This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account. The account has been inactive for several months. The device on the account was a simple voice flip-phone, not a BlackBerry or other smartphone designed for e-mail or other data services.
“All employees who have accessed the account – whether authorized or not – have been put on immediate leave, with pay. As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.
“We apologize to President-Elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day.”
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I wonder if the Secret Service will get involved.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!?! lol
Privacy is a big issue and rightfully so. However, I wonder who tipped them off? Gossips or leaked some info to the news?
At my current job I am a systems administrator with god like access to everything and I never once accessed any data or file that I didn't have any business being in. I like to be the one who goes, "I don't know nothing" because it keeps me out of trouble. The less I know the less I'd be curious about.
People need to learn not to get their hands in the cookie jar when they have no business of doing so.
I still don't understand why they have to take away his blackberry. Since Verizon can monitor all the correspondence going on with his account, cant they simply publish all of that, rather than crippling him?
Tindytim I'm not trying to pick on you, but do you watch the news. Things go on in the government every single day that even if one employee at "insert name here" company gets hold of, could compromise national security. Plus the government has much better "toys" then blackberrys. Obama will be fine. You don’t have to believe me but join the military and try to get a clearance. You will understand better then. Darkk you are right someone must have said something trying to show off, and got busted.