Verizon Claims Free Speech Over NSA Wiretapping

xvx writes "Verizon is claiming that they have the right to hand over customer information to the US government under the First Amendment. 'Essentially, the argument is that turning over truthful information to the government is free speech, and the EFF and ACLU can't do anything about it. In fact, Verizon basically argues that the entire lawsuit is a giant SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit, and that the case is an attempt to deter the company from exercising its First Amendment right to turn over customer calling information to government security services.'"

Comments

I wish there was a way

[markov_chain]

to mod legal arguments Funny.

They have a point....

[WED Fan]

They have a point, but man, that ranks right up there with:

• The Klan is a legal social club
• The Westboro Baptist Church has a right to protest at gay funerals
• Neo-Nazis have a right to march in Cincinnati
• Michael Stipe has the right to any haircut he likes

I'm 10 months into a 2 year contract with Verizon. I'm cancelling as soon as possible.

Re:I dont have a clue?

[notamisfit]

Because they're empowered so to act in the interests of their shareholders, all of which are presumably human beings and therefore possessing constitutional rights.

If a bear claps with one hand in the forest...

[Gary W. Longsine]

...to warn the pope about some poop he's about to slip in, and the pope doesn't hear it, because, well, it's only one hand, or paw rather, but then a tree falls on the bear, killing the bear, and startling the pope, who looks up from the path, and slips on the poop, but the bear was well intentioned because the bear only *had* one hand, or rather paw, to begin with anyway, does the bear thusly enter into the kingdom of heaven?