Vodafone Admits Network Tapping By Governments Globally

(RTTNews) - Vodafone Group PLC (VOD, VOD.L), has said that the government agencies in many countries have been accessing its infrastructure and listening to the conversations on its network. ln Law Enforcement Disclosure Report published Friday, the telecom company admitted that said 29 operating businesses directly controlled by Vodafone (including joint ventures in Australia, Kenya and Fiji) asked for access to its network or user data and access to voice calls and other data moving across global telecommunications networks. But the report also said that governments in certain countries had direct access to its networks without having to use legal warrants. The report offers new details on thousands of requests for wiretaps and user data across Vodafone's global footprint, and lays out in general terms the procedures governments use to request information, often with little disclosure. In a small number of countries, Vodafone said in the report, the company will not receive any form of demand for communications data access as the relevant agencies and authorities already have permanent access to customer communications via their own direct link. The company further said that in six countries where it operates, governments have direct wires connected to its network, allowing live conversations to be listened to and recorded by government organizations. "It is governments — not communications operators — who hold the primary duty to provide greater transparency on the number of agency and authority demands issued to operators," Vodafone's report said. "We believe that regulators, parliaments or governments will always have a far more accurate view of the activities of agencies and authorities than any one operator." Vodafone said that governments should discourage agencies and the authorities from seeking direct access to carrier networks without a lawful mandate.