Verizon Denies Privacy Lapse

Verizon (VZ Quote) denied for a second time that it provided the National Security Agency with data from customers' domestic calls.

The news comes as the big telco, along with peers AT&T (T Quote) and BellSouth (BLS Quote), has come under fire for reportedly sharing customer data with government agencies seeking to track supposed would-be terrorists.

The furor started when USA Today reported last week that the National Security Agency was secretly collecting phone records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.

BellSouth denied Monday it provided bulk calling data to the government. "Based on our review to date, we have confirmed no such contract exists and we have not provided bulk customer calling records to the NSA," BellSouth said. "As a result of media reports that BellSouth provided massive amounts of customer calling information under a contract with the NSA, the company conducted an internal review to determine the facts." ...