Vodafone EXPOSES SECRET Worldwide Network Of GOVERNMENT WIRETAPS

[Segami]

"...Wires allow agencies to listen to or record live conversations, in what privacy campaigners are calling a ‘nightmare scenario’..."

Vodafone, one of the world’s largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the existence of secret wires that allow government agencies to listen to all conversations on its networks, saying they are widely used in some of the 29 countries in which it operates in Europe and beyond. The company has broken its silence on government surveillance in order to push back against the increasingly widespread use of phone and broadband networks to spy on citizens, and will publish its first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report on Friday. At 40,000 words, it is the most comprehensive survey yet of how governments monitor the conversations and whereabouts of their people.




The company said wires had been connected directly to its network and those of other telecoms groups, allowing agencies to listen to or record live conversations and, in certain cases, track the whereabouts of a customer. Privacy campaigners said the revelations were a “nightmare scenario” that confirmed their worst fears on the extent of snooping. In Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malta, Qatar, Romania, South Africa and Turkey, it is unlawful to disclose any information related to wiretapping or interception of the content of phone calls and messages including whether such capabilities exist. “For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and terrifying,” said the Liberty director, Shami Chakrabarti. “[Edward] Snowden revealed the internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster that all is well is wearing pretty thin – our analogue laws need a digital overhaul.”




In about six of the countries in which Vodafone operates, the law either obliges telecoms operators to install direct access pipes, or allows governments to do so. The company, which owns mobile and fixed broadband networks, including the former Cable & Wireless business, has not named the countries involved because certain regimes could retaliate by imprisoning its staff. Direct-access systems do not require warrants, and companies have no information about the identity or the number of customers targeted. Mass surveillance can happen on any telecoms network without agencies having to justify their intrusion to the companies involved. Industry sources say that in some cases, the direct-access wire, or pipe, is essentially equipment in a locked room in a network’s central data centre or in one of its local exchanges or “switches”.



The staff working in that room can be employed by the telecoms firm, but have state security clearance and are usually unable to discuss any aspect of their work with the rest of the company. Vodafone says it requires all employees to follow its code of conduct, but secrecy means that it cannot always verify that they do so. Government agencies can also intercept traffic on its way into a data centre, combing through conversations before routing them on to the operator. “These are the nightmare scenarios that we were imagining,” said Gus Hosein, executive director of Privacy International, which has brought legal action against the British government over mass surveillance. “I never thought the telcos [telecommunications companies] would be so complicit. It’s a brave step by Vodafone and hopefully the other telcos will become more brave with disclosure, but what we need is for them to be braver about fighting back against the illegal requests and the laws themselves.” Vodafone’s group privacy officer, Stephen Deadman, said: “These pipes exist, the direct access model exists.





cont'


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/05/vodafone-exposes-secret-worldwide-network-of-government-wiretaps/

[Thinkingabout]

1. Intersting someone would post this and continue to use the Internet, etc while attempting to

terrorize everyone else who uses the internet. You know, you are being watched even while these posts are occurring. Aren't you scared?

[Mojorabbit]

2. I am thrilled that the company had the courage to do this

even though there will surely be retaliation for it. I am glad there are people out there with principles.

[Thinkingabout]

3. If there are principled employees at all the provider companies and not rogue employees then

we can expect the conversations will remain private and not spread to the world, now wouldn't that be nice.

[quakerboy]

9. You didnt read the article at all, did you?

Its not telco just employees who have access. Its government agencies in a number of countries who have lines tapped directly into the phone companies and can listen in to all conversations passing through, at will, whether the companies involved like it, are principled, or not.

[Thinkingabout]

10. Again, unless there are rogue employees who happen to hear a conversation and

Pass the information on to whomever they choose then it is not a problem. Conversations should not be divulged unless a warrant has been issued to record the conversation, it doesn't matter when and where this occurs. It is about rogue employees doing the wrong thing, there are consequences for employees doing this.

BTW, we can only make rules for the USA, once your use leaves the USA they can record and give the information to whomever as in the case of the diplomats conversation on news cast.

[quakerboy]

13. Wow. Are you for real?

So its not a problem if the government chooses to listen in on the phone conversations of its political rivals? That wouldn't be a rogue employee, but I sure see it as a problem..

Second, even if you ignore the (in my opinion) much larger issue of malicious government intrusion, You still have the issue of your "rogue individuals". What do we(or any of the countries of this article) have in place to discourage them from taking what personal benefit they can, at the cost of phone users? Here in the US, what exactly is stopping some slightly more adept Snowden wannabe who has been hired by his former employer from recording a conversation between a senator and his family member in distress, and then using that to blackmail said senator into voting on some legislation that harms the country?

As to countries.. yeah. this article crosses several. Revealing that its not just the US government intruding. Each of these countries should take a long hard look at what they want to allow in their own country. As should we here in the US.

[Thinkingabout]

14. What we have had is a malicious invasion in the NRA, a thieving rogue employee which

Failed to do the job in which he was hired, took files and so he claims turned them over to someone, etc, who claims he knows of illegal wiretapping by some of his co-workers and this is okay with you.
There seems to be a total lying groupies around, telling a new and different story and which one do you believe?

As far as other countries where has laws of the US been broken? The citizens if the US is spied on by other countries, maybe you are not aware of this. The US needs to look long and hard at other countries and perhaps within for those groups who wish to harm our nation.

[quakerboy]

15. There seems to be a language barrier

Because the words you are saying do not seem to be connected to the words I am saying, except tangentially. Your screed has little or no bearing on anything I said, or anything in the op, which has me a bit confused as to your intent

[Thinkingabout]

16. Are you the same quakerboy who posted in #13?

If you are then you may need to reread your post and perhaps it will help you get back on the subject you posted.

[quakerboy]

17. Are you the same person that posted 14?

Your response, number 14, does not seem to make any sense as a response to 13. Due to that, I am assuming that English is not your first language. If it is, I suggest you revisit what you wrote in 14, because what you posted does not appear to have any logical connection to what I wrote.

Summarizing..
OP: Vodaphone says governments have direct unrestricted access to phone conversations in a number of conversations
1: you intimate anyone concerned with privacy should refuse to use the internet
2: mojo says he is glad someone had the principles to expose the government phone taps
3: you state that as long as the teleco employees are principled, why worry
9: I point out that the article is about government access, not telco employee access.
10: You state its still not an issue unless there are "rogue employees"
13: I point out government access can be problematic. And that we dont have great protections against rogue employees.
14: you talk about the invasions(?), the NRA(??) and some unnamed rogue employee and groupies(?)

[Thinkingabout]

19. Here, who posted this

Second, even if you ignore the (in my opinion) much larger issue of malicious government intrusion, You still have the issue of your "rogue individuals". What do we(or any of the countries of this article) have in place to discourage them from taking what personal benefit they can, at the cost of phone users? Here in the US, what exactly is stopping some slightly more adept Snowden wannabe who has been hired by his former employer from recording a conversation between a senator and his family member in distress, and then using that to blackmail said senator into voting on some legislation that harms the country?

[quakerboy]

20. What in blazes does that have to do with

invasions, the NRA, or the price of tea in China

[Thinkingabout]

21. you posted this, what is the answer, what are you talking about?

[quakerboy]

22. This feels a lot like

Talking to cleverbot. Lots of words, no actual meaning. I wish you the best, but if you have nothing substantive to add, I am done rehashing this with you.

[delrem]

8. I think you are comfortably numb.

Just my opinion, mind you.

[MADem]

4. Malta, who knew?

Italy is entirely UNSURPRISING. They've always had that whiff about them.

It shows that Malta is one of the most spied on nations in Europe. The former British protectorate has a tiny population of 420,000, but last year Vodafone alone processed 3,773 requests for metadata.

In Italy, where the mafia’s presence requires a high level of police intrusion, Vodafone received 606,000 metadata requests, more than any other country in which it runs networks. The number of warrants across all operators is potentially many times that number, but the government does not publish a national figure for metadata.

Italy’s parliament does disclose content warrants, however, and it issued 141,000 in 2012, compared with just 2,760 in the United Kingdom. In contrast to the UK, terrorism concerns mean Ireland does not allow any information on the number of content warrants to be made public.

Spain, which has suffered terrorist strikes from Islamists and Basque separatists, allowed Vodafone to disclose that it had received over 24,000 content warrants. Agencies in the Czech Republic made nearly 8,000 content requests from the network. After Italy, the Czech Republic is the biggest user of metadata, issuing 196,000 warrants nationally in the most recent year for which information has been published. Tanzania, one of several African countries in which Vodafone operates, made 99,000 metadata requests from the company.

[defacto7]

5. This activity makes the Stasi

look like Sarah the telephone operator.

The Stasi would be envious.

[grasswire]

6. thank you Ed Snowden for starting this conversation.

Breathtaking.

[kelliekat44]

7. Well, if the world situation is as F****d up as it is with all surveillence by governments

what does it all really mean and how can it be stopped? And when it is all stopped, if ever, then what?
There may be a number of principled employees out there but they will soon lose their jobs and other job hungry folks will take their places and government practices will only tighten more. Then we are really screwed. Starting a conversation about all of this may just be opening a can of worms. Time will tell.

[woo me with science]

11. kick

[woo me with science]

12. kick

[JEB]

18. Kickity kick

[woo me with science]

23. kick