Η Vodafone with one bomb announcement has dispelled any doubts about how governments operate at a global level and whether they really care to protect the privacy of their citizens.
In a long news report the multinational company disclosed the fact that a small number of the 25 countries in which it operates require direct access to their network.
This means that Authorities can bypass any measure the company uses to protect the privacy of its customers.
Of course, Vodafone can not say no, since it would certainly violate some laws, with the risk that it can not open stores in these particular markets.
Even so, the hope that the revelations about the NSA from Edward Snowden will start dialogues and push for more transparency does not seem to have been in vain. In fact, it shows that something like this has already happened and continues to happen from more and more companies.
Vodafone's involvement in programs such as Tempora, the GCHQ wiretapping, has not been clarified. Let us remind you that the Tempora program monitors the population through the network cables that carry telephone lines calls around the world, as well as Internet traffic.
Vodafone says few of its employees should know details of the scheme, and even if they did, they would not be allowed to comment on the theme, as governments try to shut up.
Vodafone is currently present in many countries such as Albania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom Basilio, the Turkey, Australia, India, New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, Qatar and others.
Although there is no way to know which countries have requested full access to the Vodafone network, there are many countries that ban the company from publishing any information about telephone tapping, namely Egypt, India, Qatar, Romania, Turkey and South Africa.
