Comments on: Vodafone admits handing data to Mubarak’s Police https://arabawy.org/10641/vodafone-hands-data-to-mubaraks-police/ Hossam el-Hamalawy Mon, 04 Jan 2021 09:51:24 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Mostafa Hussein https://arabawy.org/10641/vodafone-hands-data-to-mubaraks-police/#comment-3923 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:50:27 +0000 http://arabist.net/arabawy/?p=10641#comment-3923 This is awful.

I agree with the @arabist that all phones and unencrypted Internet communication is tapped and read. But since we have millions of net and mobile phone users I bet surveillance is resource intensive and takes a lot of time. They don’t stand a chance against the newer more instant forms of communications we can make use of.

We are still ahead of the by a step or two.

]]> By: arabist https://arabawy.org/10641/vodafone-hands-data-to-mubaraks-police/#comment-3922 Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:40:06 +0000 http://arabist.net/arabawy/?p=10641#comment-3922 In the Middle East, generally speaking, all phones are tapped. Not necessarily that people are actively listening to everyone of course, but all the mobile networks of US-friendly countries are plugged into the US automated listening system, officially as part of counter-terrorism efforts. Besides, the Egyptian telecom law (of 2002 I believe) specifically obliges telecom operators to grant security full access (there was some effort by HR groups to bring attention to this, as I think the law does not provide for a warrant system – i.e. judicial oversight – for tapping phones, as in most countries).

Bottom line: always assume your phone is tapped, your email is read, etc. There is no such thing as privacy unless you go out of your way to ensure it.

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