Internet News: Boxer Blasts Verizon's DMCA Subpoena Stance

Barbara Boxer

Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer Claims Verizon and SBC are acting in a hypocritical manner by refusing to act on subpoenas, a result of provisions in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, issued to their customers .

"This holier than thou behavior is hypocritical," Boxer said. "It seems to me they are attempting to protect privacy of theft."

Boxer's accusation of hypocrisy stems from her interpretation of a section in a Verizon brochure that states pay music sites don't have much music yet the free (read illegal) sites do. Verizon claims Boxer is making that interpretation out of context claiming Verizon does inform its customers it is illegal to download copyrighted material. Even so, Verizon, along with SBC, is seeking judicial relief from delivering subpoenas to its customers.