Last month, Verizon Wireless, one of the largest telecommunications firms in the U.S., admitted to disclosing tens of thousands of customer phone and Internet records to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

In hundreds of these instances, which occurred from January 2005 to September 2007, records were transferred without court orders or subpoenas. AT&T and Qwest Communications have also recently admitted to similar behavior.

Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents, but rather a sign of the times. These days, as a result of apathy and credulity, American citizens are surrendering rights that men and women have fought and died for since the inception of our country.

This erosion of our freedoms has not been conspicuous. It has been a gradual, subtle process. After 9/11, we were convinced that the government needed more information to combat terrorism. In response, the Bush administration quickly passed the PATRIOT Act, granting the executive branch more power than ever before.

The result has been the monitoring of phone calls and Internet activity without warrants, imprisonment without due process, torture and more that we have yet to learn about.

Was Verizon’s behavior legal? Yes, says Terry R. Ellis, Esq., Director of Administration of Justice and the Paralegal Program at De Anza College. According to Ellis, records such as these are considered to be the property of the company, and therefore the company’s to distribute.

But the legality of these actions only further underscores the point, because although Verizon did not commit a crime, what it did was wrong. It is indicative of a modern legal environment in which the government is increasingly empowered over its citizens.

The real danger, however, lies not in today’s legal environment, but tomorrow’s.

“The history of this country is such that when people voluntarily decide to give up rights, they rarely ever get them back,” said Ellis.

This concern is common to many American citizens. Many of us hope that the next presidential election will bring about change in favor of reduced governmental control. Unfortunately, history has taught us time and again that rulers are not quick to relinquish power.