[LINK] Vodafone: the dictator made us do it

[Kim Holburn]

On 2011/Feb/06, at 3:18 PM, David Boxall wrote:

> On 6/02/2011 9:50 AM, Kim Holburn wrote:
>> On 2011/Feb/05, at 8:58 AM, David Boxall wrote:
>>> On 4/02/2011 9:50 PM, Kim Holburn wrote:
>>>>> but all Vodaphone had to lose was money.
>>>> Not really.  The Vodafone employees in Egypt may have had and may have considerably more to lose.
>>> You know that? Do tell.
>> 
>> You know they don't?  Do tell.
> 
> If Vodafone employees were threatened, wouldn't the company have 
> employed that among its excuses?

Not if the Egyptian government told them that they'd be shot if they mentioned it.  We simply don't know what pressure was put on by the government or the situation.  But don't give them any benefit of any doubt from your safe armchair on the other side of the world.

We know that they use telecoms technologies designed in the west, for our governments and which allow our governments to tap calls and analyse traffic call patterns and probably triangulate people's phones or use geolocation.  A big deal for a dictatorship.  I would assume that a significant number of employees are either secret police or are in direct communication with the secret police.  

> The company responded only after their 
> behaviour was exposed and protests grew loud. My guess is it was a 
> business decision.

And the other Egyptian telecom companies?  No, no response from them.  

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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