Boycott Verizon - Stop NSA Spying

Question

Well, as most of you have seen in the news the NSA has been conducting covert surveillance on American citizens with the help of just about every major telecom company in existence in the US today. They have all been slapped with one form of National Security letter or another demanding them to give up varying levels of user data. So what makes Verizon different? What makes them worthy of a boycott over others you might ask? The fact that they have done nothing to challenge it, coupled with the fact that they are providing more access than just about everyone else according to more documents leaked recently.
VZ is giving the NSA and who knows how many others direct access into their servers to collect the metadata of EVERY USER ON THE NETWORK on a DAILY BASIS! No individual warrants required. No Oversite in place. They have allowed so much access that they dont even know what the NSA is taking on a daily basis, nor do they have to be notified by anyone that the info was accessed.
Now before everyone starts replying to this about how VZ is not the bad guy and they have to comply with every court order they are given, some of which contain gag orders making it illegal to even talk about it, let me remind all of you that just about every other major tech company issues an annual transparency report outlining how much info was released, and to whom. Companies like Microsoft, T-Mobile, Google, Twitter, and others. Many tech companies like Twitter, Foursquare, AT&T, Intel, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, T-Mobile, IBM, HP and countless others have joined the Digital Due Process Coalition to stand up for users privacy rights in congress. Verizon has not. Many of the same companies release an annual statement of Law enforcement guidelines that its company will use when dealing in these matters. Verizon does not. Just about every other company in the cell business has a record of challenging, in a court of law, at least some of the National Security directives they have been handed, Verizon does not. Some will even notify the user that their info has been released unless directly hit with a gag order. Verizon does not. There is a very direct way to challenge any FISA 702 directive (National Security Directive) received by the telecom companies. There are also very strict rules governing its use which are outlined here: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/1881a None of which include randomly snooping on American citizens.
According the the 2013 Annual report of companies that standup for users rights and privacy, issued by EFF.org, Verizon ranks among the lowest 3 years running. And the final nail in Verizon's coffin for me is the fact that the Government has to "reasonably compensate" the companies for the time their employees spent complying to these orders. So essentially VZ is charging money for handing over your info.
My $750 early term fee is a small price to pay to get rid of a company that doesn't care about your rights or privacy one bit. Personally I love my VZ phone. The service is great, the 4G is fast, but I cant get past the fact that they don't value my privacy at all. I'm willing to deal with some dropped calls to stand up for my rights as a citizen of the United Sates of America, and you should too.
Sincerely,
Soon to be Ex-Verizon customer of 3 years

Answer 1

I to am leaving Verizon, not just because of the NSA debacle.
A few months ago, I stayed with same bank but switched states. I, did not realize my auto pay was no longer valid. I get a call from Verizon saying I was behind a month. No big deal. They wanted me to pay $150 / month for six months to pay off a $100 dollar bill I forgot to pay. I told them that was stupid and outrageous. I paid sixty bucks last month extra, and just paid it off today. No big deal, because it was originally my fault for not checking my banking auto-pay.
Verizon called me over twenty times in less than six days. All on tape. I just paid through my bank today the amount due and once again Verizon called me, again.
I am tired of the almost sixty phone calls in a month and the arrogance, stupidity, and condescending attitude of the CSR's. I gave them my notice that when the new cycle starts, I am gone.
Back to NSA: What could the Government do to Verizon or any company that big, if they said no. If they fought it in court? If they said, OK but we are going to announce it? Do you think the Government would shut down Verizon?
So, this is my way to say to hell with Verizon. It will cost me $275 bucks, which I plan on paying off $50 / month. To heck with Verizon.
So goodbye Verizon, thanks for the nightmares and consent harassment over $100 bucks. Thanks for trying to get me to agree to pay $900 bucks to pay off a $100 dollar bill.
Thanks for allowing the Government to violate our Constitution, our civil liberties, and our trust.
Never again will I ever have anything to do with Verizon.
Tim F