Quote by Studs Terkel
Having been blacklisted from working in television during the McCarthy era, I know the harm of government using private corporations to intrude into the lives of innocent Americans. When government uses the telephone companies to create massive databases of all our phone calls it has gone too far.note: May 22, 2006, Terkel, along with other plaintiffs, filed a suit in federal district court against AT&T to stop them from giving customer phone records to the National Security Agency without a court order.
Summary
The quote emphasizes the negative consequences of government interference in the private lives of citizens through collaborations with private corporations. The speaker, who experienced blacklisting during the McCarthy era, highlights the potential harm when the government goes beyond bounds by using telephone companies to collect extensive databases of people's phone calls. The quote also mentions the speaker's involvement in a lawsuit against AT&T in 2006, challenging their action of providing customer phone records to the National Security Agency without a proper court order. Overall, the quote critiques excessive surveillance and the infringement of citizens' rights through government-corporate partnerships.
Topics
Privacy
By Studs Terkel