Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance
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 June 6, 2014. 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.
Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance Vodafone Reveals Direct Access by Governments to Customer Data (NYTimes) Vodafone granted governments direct access to its networks for surveillance (IDG News Service) Vodafone puts out wide-ranging transparency report, hinting at secret surveillance programs (GigaOm) Cellphone operator reveals scale of government snooping (AP) 6 countries routinely snoop on Vodafone calls (CNNMoney)