Wireless Companies Ranked By How Much They Charge The NSA For Tapping Your Phone And Email
Advertisement
Verizon has a nice little business going in wiretaps. It charges the federal government $775 to tap a customer's phone and then $500 a month after that to maintain it, making it the most expensive of the government's wireless service intelligence assets, according to the Associated Press.
Advertisement
Here is how the companies named in the NSA's PRISM domestic surveillance scandal stack up against each other, as ranked by what they charge for intelligence requests:
- Phone taps
- Verizon: $775 startup fee then $500 per month
- AT&T: $325 "activation fee" and $10 a day afterward (~$310 per month)
- Cricket: ~$250 per wiretap
- U.S. Cellular: ~ $250 per wiretap
- Sprint: $30 per month
- Email access:
- Microsoft, Yahoo and Google: ~$25 per account
This is a real business, by the way. The AP says AT&T collected $24 million in government fees between 2007 and 2011. Verizon collects $3-5 million.
Advertisement
- I quit McKinsey after 1.5 years. I was making over $200k but my mental health was shattered.
- Some Tesla factory workers realized they were laid off when security scanned their badges and sent them back on shuttles, sources say
- I tutor the children of some of Dubai's richest people. One of them paid me $3,000 to do his homework.
- Why are so many elite coaches moving to Western countries?
- Global GDP to face a 19% decline by 2050 due to climate change, study projects
- 5 things to keep in mind before taking a personal loan
- Markets face heavy fluctuations; settle lower taking downtrend to 4th day
- Move over Bollywood, audio shows are starting to enter the coveted ‘100 Crores Club’