(CNN) — The U.S. government has obtained a top-secret court order requiring Verizon to turn over what could amount to millions of Americans’ telephone records on an “ongoing daily basis,” the UK-based Guardian newspaper reported.
The four-page order, which The Guardian published on its websiteWednesday, requires the communications giant to hand over “originating and terminating” telephone numbers as well as the location, time and duration of the calls — and demands that the order be kept secret.
The order applies to Verizon Business Network Services. It was not immediately clear how many phone records it covers. Verizon does not describe its Business Network Services operation on its website.
The Guardian said the order involves “millions of U.S. customers of Verizon.”
“The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk — regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing,” the article says.
The court allowed both the FBI and NSA to obtain the records, which include domestic and foreign phone calls between April 25 and July 19.
The FBI and the NSA did not comment.
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