ACCESS AT THE FLICK OF A SWITCH
In the cases of the six countries, the company said government agencies had inserted their own equipment into the Vodafone network, or diverted Vodafone’s data traffic through government systems, to enable them to listen into calls, and determine where they were made.
“For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and terrifying,” said Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human rights group Liberty.
“Snowden revealed the internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster that all is well is wearing pretty thin – our analogue laws need a digital overhaul.”
Western security services say they are fighting a silent war with extremists who are trying to kill their citizens and the head of Britain’s MI5 Security Service has said Snowden’s revelations were a gift to terrorists.
Vodafone runs mobile and some broadband operations in 27 countries and works with partners in 49 more. It also has a small number of local operator businesses in other countries through its acquisition of the Cable & Wireless worldwide business.