Verizon Wireless placed a handful of employees on paid administrative leave last week, on suspicion of improperly peeking at President-Elect Barack Obama’s cell phone records. “This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-Elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account,” Verizon Wireless CEO and president Lowell McAdam told reporters in a statement. The phone in question – a personal, voice-only flip phone – has been inactive for several months, says the future president’s transition team. Because the phone didn’t have e-mail or data capabilities, Obama’s correspondences were not in danger of being read.
Reports indicate that the suspended Verizon employees had access to a relatively limited amount of data, including a record of phone numbers, call length, and timestamps. When pressed for further details on what was accessed, however, Verizon Jeffrey Nelson declined additional comment. Concerns such as this incident are fueling questions about whether Obama, a reputedly avid user of technology, should be allowed to use a cell phone and e-mail during his term as President.
