AT&T Follows Verizon In Transparency Report Pledge

US telecom provider AT&T says it will publish a transparency report outlining the requests it receives from government authorities for customer data twice a year, following in the footsteps of rival Verizon, which announced it was to publish its own report early next year.

Alleged mass surveillance of Verizon customers’ telephone communications by the US National Security Agency (NSA) was one of the first revelations to emerge from the exposure of US government snooping  by the whistle blower Edward Snowden, and now its rival is keen to ensure to show that it is protecting the privacy of its customers.

“We intend to publish a semi-annual online report that will provide information on the number of law enforcement requests for customer information that our company receives in the countries in which we do business,” promises Wayne Watts, AT&T senior executive vice president and General Counsel.

AT&T transparency report

The first report will be published in early 2014 and include the total number of requests received from government authorities in criminal cases, information on the number of subpoenas, court orders and warrants, the number of customers affected and details about legal demands.

Watts stresses that it only provides such information to comply with the laws of the countries it operates in and will always ensure such requests are lawful, and claims it has challenged a number of such demands when it has believed this is not the case.

He says AT&T does not allow any government to access its networks directly and it only ever reveals location information when it is believed that human life is in danger, such as the search for a missing child or a kidnapping. However Watts admits that the company’s hands are tied with regards to national security information and says the government should do more to be transparent.

“In our view, any disclosures regarding classified information should come from the government, which is in the best position to determine what can be lawfully disclosed and would or would not harm national security,” he adds. “We believe clear legal frameworks with accountability and oversight are required to strike the right balance between protecting individual privacy and civil liberties, and protecting the national and personal security, a balance we all desire.”

Google published its own transparency report last month, and complained that it is not allowed to reveal how much information is requested by organisations like the NSA. The search giant, along with Microsoft, sued the American government in September for the right to provide more information on information requests and clear their name over alleged collusion with US agencies.

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