USATODAY.com - On Deadline: Archives

USATODAY.com - On Deadline: Archives: "

Verizon Communications this afternoon said that it "was not asked by the (National Security Agency) to provide, nor did Verizon provide, customer records" from any of its telephone businesses "or any call data from those records."

Any media reports that say it did those things "are simply false," the company stated.

It is the second company to challenge a USA TODAY report Thursday that said three phone companies had assisted the NSA in collecting "call records of tens of millions of Americans." Late Monday, BellSouth said it had not "provided bulk customer calling records" to the NSA. The third company named by USA TODAY, AT&T, has not commented on whether it assisted the NSA.

A fourth firm, Qwest, has said it was approached by the NSA to take part - but turned down the request.

......

In its statement today, Verizon said it 'cannot and will not confirm or deny whether it has any relationship to the classified NSA program.' But it also said it is 'simply false' to say that it had been 'approached by NSA and entered into an arrangement to provide the NSA with data from its customers' domestic calls.'"