Verizon Staffers Breached Obama Cell Phone Records

Company probing extent of data breach after snooping uncovered
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2008 4:46 AM CST
Verizon Staffers Breached Obama Cell Phone Records
President-elect Barack Obama talks on his cell phone after boarding his plane at Washington's Reagan National Airport following a meeting with President Bush at the White House earlier this month.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Verizon has suspended all employees who accessed Barack Obama's personal cell phone records after learning that some workers snooped into the account without authorization, the Washington Post reports. Company executives, who didn't specify what kind of information had been viewed, apologized to the president-elect. Verizon is investigating and has notified law enforcement agencies.

"We were notified yesterday that employees had accessed the records of an old cell phone no longer in use," said an Obama aide. "No voice or emails were listened to or read." Analysts say that while the data breach may not have exposed any vital information, it is likely to increase security concerns about the president-elect's fondness for electronic devices.
(More Verizon stories.)

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