Vodafone's mobile phone operation in Greece has become embroiled in a phone-tapping scandal, nicknamed the Greek Watergate, after it discovered its network was being used to eavesdrop on the country's political and military elite.
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1703702,00.html
Suicide complicates Greek mobile phone spying conundrum
The suicide of a Greek telecommunications expert added to the murkiness surrounding the explosive revelations that eavesdroppers listened in on Greece's entire political and military elite, including the prime minister, for almost a year.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/02/06/2003291808
From Information Clearing House
Attention in NSA Debate Turns to Telecom Industry
Though much of official Washington has been caught up in the debate over the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program, one set of major players has kept a discreet silence: the telecommunications corporations.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/021106E.shtml
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US Suspected of Tapping Greek Leaders' Phones
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/1544661/
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This is what it takes:
One of “THEM” gets tapped,
All hell gets raised.
They never thought, or cared, we might suffer by having one of the masts practically in our bedroom.
So, Why didn’t WE buy these guys “TO DO THIS” years ago?
If we had, we would not have a health problem today.
So true.
Best.
Agnes.
http://www.mast-victims.org
Greece phone tap leads to new law
Mr Karamanlis announced tough new measures for the telecoms industry
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has announced tough new rules for mobile phone operators in his country.
It follows revelations that the mobile phones of the prime minister and other high-ranking officials were tapped for more than a year.
The prime minister said the new rules would provide greater privacy in communications and harsh punishments for those caught eavesdropping.
It is not yet known who was behind the phone tapping scandal.
Tough measures
The prime minister warned that mobile phone operators could face fines of up to 2m euros ($2.4m; £1.4m) and a temporary suspension of their licence.
"(We are) preparing more effective safeguards... and harsher penalties for those who are involved in such crimes, and for those who make use of the products of these crimes," the prime minister said in a televised address.
The tapping is said to have begun before the Athens Olympics in 2004 and lasted until March last year.
It was detected by a telephone company manager dealing with customers who had reported technical problems.
About 100 mobiles belonging to politicians from both parties are thought to have been monitored.
The new rules could pose problems for Vodafone Greece, the network provider targeted in the tapping.
The British company is Greece's second-largest mobile phone provider, and has 4.4m subscribers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4709756.stm
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A burst of energy after recovering from a tummy bug becuase the e-mail from Sue was so far out! I just had to follow it up and do a Google. The Guardian Unlimite Article below gives more detail but there are some amazing conspiracy theories on the Internet to do with this.... Anyway how are the British Government paying for this? Would it be by letting the mobile phone companies do what they want in Britain with no controls at all?
Sue's original
Note: Did anyone see the feature in one of the colour supplemets of the d mail on sunday. It waas about an employee of vodaphone in greece, who supposedly committed suicide. A scandal is following because it appears that vodaphone have been bugging the Greeks, including the Premier, at the instigation of the British. It seems that the employee may have found out about this and that is why he was bumped off.
sue g
Vodafone Greece
To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited Business site, go to
http://business.guardian.co.uk
Vodafone embroiled in Greek phone-tapping scandal Helena Smith in Athens Tuesday February 07 2006 The Guardian
Vodafone's mobile phone operation in Greece has become embroiled in a phone-tapping scandal, nicknamed the Greek Watergate, after it discovered its network was being used to eavesdrop on the country's political and military elite.
Last week, an inquiry was ordered by Costas Karamanlis, the prime minister, who was among the targets. It will focus on how spy software was installed within Vodafone's Greek mobile network before the 2004 Olympics. The spyware, understood to have been lurking within software bought from Ericsson, was spotted by the mobile phone operator last spring. When found, Vodafone disabled it and passed all the information on to the authorities.
The illegal device enabled the eavesdroppers, who are still to be traced, to monitor phones owned by Mr Karamanlis, as well as his foreign, defence and public order ministers from June 2004 to last March. Mobiles belonging to the heads of the armed forces, secret services and judiciary were also "tapped". Most of the bugging is believed to have taken place around the time of the Olympics in August, when Greece faced heavy pressure to step up security.
George Koronias, Vodafone Greece's chief executive, who is expected to be among the chief witnesses, said that he removed the device because it was his duty "towards my country and my company".
Critics, however, contend that by deactivating the device, which diverted calls to 14 "shadow" phones connected to a recording machine, Mr Koronias made it impossible for authorities to trace the interceptors.
The Greek authorities are also expected to look into the suicide of Kostas Tsalikides, Vodafone Greece's network planning manager, who took his own life on March 9 last year, shortly after the eavesdropping came to light. Vodafone however has made it plain that his death had nothing to do with the eavesdropping software.
Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited
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Did anyone see the feature in one of the colour supplemets of the d mail on sunday. It was about an employee of vodaphone in greece, who supposedly committed suicide. A scandal is following because it appears that vodaphone have been bugging the Greeks, including the Premier, at the instigation of the British. It seems that the employee may have found out about this and that is why he was bumped off.
sue g
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=phone-tap
