14 DAY TRIAL // Vodafone has shattered even the smallest idea that we might have had that governments around the world actually care about people’s privacy and that they even bother getting a warrant to access customer information.
In a lengthy new disclosure report, Vodafone tries to be more transparent. Among the things that the multinational carrier has revealed, there is the fact that a small number out of the 25 countries in which it operates actually demand to have direct access to a phone operator’s network.
This means that authorities can bypass any control that the operator should normally have over the privacy of its customer.
Of course, Vodafone did not point any fingers, since doing so would certainly breach some laws, such as the ones it has compromised to follow in order to open shop in those particular markets.
Even so, the hope that the NSA revelations from Edward Snowden would at least spark a debate and push towards more transparency was not in vain. This has happened and we’ve seen this, an increase in openness, from a lot more companies and the debate is certainly going on and it’s difficult to avoid, even though some governments would certainly prefer it that way.
Vodafone’s participation seems to be voluntary since its connection with programs such as Tempora, GCHQ’s tapping of network cables, hasn’t been clarified. As a reminder, Tempora taps network cables that carry phone calls around the world, and also Internet traffic. However, the idea that the company is under some kind of gag order, such as the Internet giants in the United States, shouldn’t be excluded.
Vodafone mentions, however, that only a handful of its employees would be aware of the details of the program and even if they did, they wouldn’t be allowed to comment on the topic, which hints to the fact that governments don’t shy away from ordering companies to shut up.
Vodafone is currently present in a wide number of countries, including Albania, The Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the UK, Turkey, Australia, India, New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, Qatar and more.
While there is no way of knowing which countries have demanded complete access to Vodafone’s network, there are several nations that prohibit the company from publishing any information about wiretaps, namely Egypt, India, Qatar, Romania, Turkey, and South Africa. Whether they are the same or not will likely remain a secret unless the gag orders are lifted.