Verizon Loses German Contract Over NSA Ties

In what is perhaps the most tangible damage done to US business by the National Security Agency spying dragnet, the German government said today it would end a contract with Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) due to security concerns. Critics attack NSA’s Prism monitors The controversial NSA program called Prism monitors phone calls and can enter into individual smart phones and turn on microphones to eavesdrop. This is routinely done overseas without a warrant, and critics charge this is the case in the US as well. The program, which was said to be well known in the intelligence and terrorist community, was…