Vodafone exposes secret worldwide network of government wiretaps

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.

Well we all pretty much knew they were listening to our phone calls and now Vodafone has confirmed our suspicions.

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 at least 6 of the countries Vodafone operates the law either obliges telecoms operators to install direct access pipes, or allows governments to do so. They have not named the countries involved because certain regimes could retaliate by imprisoning its staff.

Is it still paranoia if they really are listening? For real don't be talking on your phone.

www.rawstory.com...

a reply to: alienjuggalo

S + F great post.
Do you think it will only be vodafone... I think not. I wouldn't trust any large networks.

Also I hope this isn't that sought of news that we will never hear of again and nothing is done.

a reply to: alienjuggalo

No surprise, but nice to see a phone company admit to it. Nicer if more of them did, and then all took steps to remove the capability, or at least make it a lot harder.

Now, since we have to figure they are listening, what do we do with the information?

I am absolutely shocked that a large company like Vodafone has exposed this. They are risking a huge level of lash back by the governments in the nations which they operate. Most of the companies named in the Snowden documents denied being complacent in a large surveillance program, and I never expected any of them to actually admit to it, let alone write a 40,000 word report detailing how it all works. A big thumbs up to Vodafone, I hope they don't get attacked too harshly because of this.

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

We do the same as with all this stupid German confusion about the NSA: we ignore it, and get a little bit angry about those post-fasicsts who should be greatfull for having been freed from fascism and should thank us for the rest of their pity existance for doing so.

And we should demand that that stupid German Federal Prosecutor General Range should just shut up and let the talkings do their thing! No need for persecutions!

originally posted by: ManFromEurope
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes

We do the same as with all this stupid German confusion about the NSA: we ignore it, and get a little bit angry about those post-fasicsts who should be greatfull for having been freed from fascism and should thank us for the rest of their pity existance for doing so.

And we should demand that that stupid German Federal Prosecutor General Range should just shut up and let the talkings do their thing! No need for persecutions!

I am not 100% sure what you mean here. Do you mean we do nothing? Certainly seems to be the case, but what we should do, or can do, is the question. We can protest, and we can demand our Congressmen do something, and we can even vote them out, but nothing changes. What else can we do is the question.

originally posted by: ChaoticOrder
I am absolutely shocked that a large company like Vodafone has exposed this. They are risking a huge level of lash back by the governments in the nations which they operate. Most of the companies named in the Snowden documents denied being complacent in a large surveillance program, and I never expected any of them to actually admit to it, let alone write a 40,000 word report detailing how it all works. A big thumbs up to Vodafone, I hope they don't get attacked too harshly because of this.

Guess it better to get out ahead of things. Haven't you noticed just in the last week the NSA has used it's system to find and seize or in most cases kill the individual. No warrants nothing scary stuff.......

Constitution Constitution, Hmmmmm, not sure we still have one lol...


The Bot