New Delhi: The leading telecom company Vodafone had admitted on Friday that government agencies in some countries listen in on phone conversations without warrants, using secret cables linked to its networks.
Notify that The UK based group said that India was among 29 countries that sought access to Vodafone’s network to intercept calls, text messages and emails last year. But the telecom major didn’t disclose whether it complied with the Indian requests.
Union finance ministry had asked the department of telecommunications to examine the possibility of Vodafone sharing details of phone calls and emails with British security agency Government Communications Headquarters.
Vodafone said in its first Law Enforcement Disclosure report that secret wires – or ‘pipes’ – had been connected to its network and those belonging to competitors, giving government agencies the ability to tap in to phone and broadband traffic.
They said that in many countries this is a mandatory requirement for all telecom companies. In six countries, the governments had direct access to the telecom network and didn’t need legal warrants, the report added. Meanwhile Vodafone didn’t name the countries.
Stephen Deadman, Vodafone’s group privacy officer said, “These pipes exist, the direct access model exists. We are making a call to end direct access as a means of government agencies obtaining people’s communication data. Without an official warrant, there is no external visibility. If we receive a demand we can push back against the agency. The fact that a government has to issue a piece of paper is an important constraint on how powers are used.”
Vodafone said, “If we do not comply with a lawful demand for assistance, governments can remove our licence to operate, preventing us from providing services to our customers.”
Bureau Report
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