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DailyO | Newsletter | Medical Encyclopedia | News Flicks | Books | From India Today | From Mail Today | Shopping | Breaking News | Supplements Shazia Ilmi is free to contest from anywhere: Kejriwal Mail Today Vodafone lets snoop cat out, says India sought access to its network even as it admits to existence of 'direct wires' Mail Today Bureau | Mail Today | New Delhi, June 7, 2014 | UPDATED 13:31 IST The 'Zoozoo joke' is on the 167 million Indians who use Vodafone services. The world's second largest mobile phone company has said that India is among 29 nations that sought access to its network last year, acknowledging at the same time the existence of secret directaccess wires that are used by government agencies to snoop on private conversations, text messages and emails. The directaccess wires Vodafone has admitted to are connected directly to its network, allowing agencies not only to monitor and record phone conversations but also to trawl metadata, which provides the location of a mobile device user and the time and date of communication. The revelations came in the UKbased firm's first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report released on Friday, and nearly a year after American whistleblower Edward Snowden blew the lid off the blanket surveillance conducted by America's National Security Agency around the world. Extreme secrecy The 20page report, however, did not mention the number of requests made by India as disclosure of information on interception and communications data is not allowed by domestic law. Vodafone, whose footprint spans 29 countries and 400 million subscribers, did not say if it complied with the requests made by the Indian government. "There is no judicial oversight over the interception process," Vodafone said in the section for India in the legal annexure to its report. Under the Unified Access Service License (UASL) and the ISP License Agreement, firms are required to provide "access to all call data records as well any other electronic communication". Vodafone said the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 obliges service providers to "maintain extreme secrecy" in matters concerning lawful interception. "These prohibitions extend to the very existence of such directions, and could therefore authorise the government to prevent the publication of aggregate data relating to the number of directions received by the licensee," the report said. Advertisement PHOTOS MORE VIDEOS STAY CONNECTED WITH US ON THE RELATEDS Vodafone starts arbitration against India in tax dispute Vodafone, Airtel, Idea resume 3G services in all circles TOP NEWS MOST READ EDITOR'S PICKS MORE PM Modi's inspirational leadership made me join BJP: Kiran Bedi More worries for Mamata, Bengal minister joins BJP BJP's package deal today: Amar Singh with Jaya Prada, Bedi and Shazia Obama visit: Army warns 200 militants trying to infiltrate Power battle: Evidence against Delhi BJP chief today, says Kejriwal Hindu pilgrims mark Makar Sankranti with holy dip in Ganges Colours of Pongal: Harvest festival in Tamil Nadu Media free and irresponsible: Shashi INDIA WORLD VIDEOS PHOTOS CRICKET MOVIES AUTO SPORTS LIFESTYLE TECH EDUCATION BUSINESS REAL ESTATE

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  • DailyO | Newsletter | Medical Encyclopedia | News Flicks | Books | From India Today | From Mail Today | Shopping | Breaking News | Supplements

    Shazia Ilmi isfree to contestfromanywhere:

    Kejriwal

    Mail Today

    Vodafone lets snoop cat out, says Indiasought access to its network even as itadmits to existence of 'direct wires'Mail Today Bureau | Mail Today | New Delhi, June 7, 2014 | UPDATED 13:31 IST

     

    The 'Zoozoo joke' is on the 167million Indians who use Vodafoneservices.

    The world's second largest mobilephone company has said that Indiais among 29 nations that soughtaccess to its network last year,acknowledging at the same time theexistence of secret directaccess

    wires that are used by government agencies to snoop on private conversations,text messages and emails.

    The directaccess wires Vodafone has admitted to are connected directly to itsnetwork, allowing agencies not only to monitor and record phone conversationsbut also to trawl metadata, which provides the location of a mobile device userand the time and date of communication. The revelations came in the UKbasedfirm's first Law Enforcement Disclosure Report released on Friday, and nearly ayear after American whistleblower Edward Snowden blew the lid off the blanketsurveillance conducted by America's National Security Agency around the world.

    Extreme secrecy

    The 20page report, however, did not mention the number of requests made byIndia as disclosure of information on interception and communications data isnot allowed by domestic law. Vodafone, whose footprint spans 29 countries and400 million subscribers, did not say if it complied with the requests made by theIndian government. "There is no judicial oversight over the interception process,"Vodafone said in the section for India in the legal annexure to its report.

    Under the Unified Access Service License (UASL) and the ISP License Agreement,firms are required to provide "access to all call data records as well any otherelectronic communication". Vodafone said the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 obligesservice providers to "maintain extreme secrecy" in matters concerning lawfulinterception.

    "These prohibitions extend to the very existence of such directions, and couldtherefore authorise the government to prevent the publication of aggregate datarelating to the number of directions received by the licensee," the report said.

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  • No transparency

    A Vodafone India official told Mail Today: "We provide access to the governmentas required under the rules of law. Obviously no access or information can beshared with the public as the details are with the government agencies." Cyberlawexpert Pavan Duggal concurred: "The amendment in the Information TechnologyAct in 2008, makes it mandatory for all telecom companies to providegovernment access to data, voice and other means of communication servicesprovided by them to their consumers."

    Flagging the privacy concern,Duggal added: "On the otherhand, the government is nottransparent about themechanism on phonetapping. There have beenmany cases where thegovernment agencies havenot followed the procedurerequired for approval. Thiscould mean that orders forphone tapping may not havebeen taken from theauthority concerned."

    India's secretive NationalTechnical ResearchOrganisation (NTRO), atechnical intelligence agencycreated in 2004 and directlyunder the National SecurityAdvisor in the PMO, alsopossesses extensivecapabilities to intercept orlisten into phoneconversations and digitalcommunications. TheIntelligence Bureau, RAWand some other agencies toohave considerableinterception capabilities.Some of these capabilitiesspilled into the open whenthe Niira Radia tapes were leaked in 2010.

    Reports dating back to June last year about India's coming Central MonitoringSystem (CMS) tiein very well with the Vodafone confession. The CMS, thereports had said, would give nine government agencies the power to access, inrealtime, phone conversations, video conferences, text messages, emails, andeven Internet search data and social media activity. The CMS, that one report saidmakes the US Prism plan look like a "model of restraint", is not to be encumberedby independent oversight; the agencies can monitor targets without courtapproval or Parliament. With the CMS, security agencies won't need to makerequests to telcos; they will get it directly from interception systems built intonetworks.

    The Vodafone report is the first time a private service provider has published a

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  • TweetMAIL PRINT

    report on its cooperation with government agencies to intercept and monitorphone conversations and other digital communications.

    "For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedentedand terrifying," said Shami Chakrabarti, director of the rights group Liberty."Snowden revealed the Internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster that allis well is wearing pretty thin  our analogue laws need a digital overhaul."

    The report covered Vodafone's businesses in 29 countries where it had receivedlawful demands for help from government and law enforcement agencies betweenApril 2013 and March 2014. During this period, it received the highest number ofrequests  605,601  for metadata of mobile phones in Italy, while it received98,765 requests in Tanzania and 48,679 requests in Spain. The report focussed ontwo categories of law enforcement demands that accounted for the overwhelmingmajority of all snooping  lawful interception and access to communications data.While most countries required legal notices to tap communications, there were sixnations where this was not needed, Vodafone said. The firm did not name thesesix countries.

    Vodafone called on authorities to submit to "regular scrutiny by an independentauthority" and to amend laws that enable agencies to access communicationsinfrastructure without the knowledge of the operator. But the firm also said itwould continue to comply with the requests for intercepts as it has to abide by thelaws of different countries. "If we do not comply with a lawful demand forassistance, governments can remove our licence to operate, preventing us fromproviding services to our customers," it said.

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    Posted by: ashokJune 8, 2014

    means of communcation should never be privatize. alesson from ancient india . we all knowbanjara community which leave outside villages are transporters .kings use to only controlthem

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    Posted by: ashokJune 8, 2014

    voda phone has to pay huge taxex to govt of india and many other govts hence this may beblackmailing

    Reply   0   0 AbuseWord | Share

    Posted by: haiwoihaiwoiJune 7, 2014

    The big question. Then why were the Indian Media, Indian political parties, the Congress,and entire anti Modi brigade were demonising Mr. Modi and Mr. Amit shah?

    Reply   1   0 AbuseWord | Share

    Posted by: Tantra KamalJune 7, 2014

    Shame of humanity and danger on civil liberties. It should be opposed right frombeginning. All will end up in prison, for some or another reason.

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