LONDON (Alliance News) - Vodafone PLC Friday revealed that a small number of governments have direct access to communications on its networks, as it released its first ever "Law Enforcement Disclosure Report" amid increasing concerns about government surveillance.
The telecoms company said that whilst in many countries it receives lawful demands for access to its communications data, in a small number of countries "agencies and authorities have direct access to communications data stored within an operator?s network."
It didn't name the countries that have access.
"In those countries, Vodafone will not receive any form of demand for communications data access as the relevant agencies and authorities already have permanent access to customer communications via their own direct link," Vodafone said.
The company released the extensive report in an effort to be more transparent about its relationship with governments in the territories it operates in. Customers "have a right to privacy which is enshrined in international human rights law and standards and enacted through national law," it said.
"However, in every country in which we operate, we have to abide by the laws of those countries which require us to disclose information about our customers to law enforcement agencies or other government authorities, or to block or restrict access to certain services," Vodafone added.
The wireless company reiterated that it did not have the option to refuse a country's laws, as its operations could shut down as a result.
US whistle-blower Edward Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents last year, revealing large scale internet and telephone monitoring by the US' National Security Agency. That caused a huge row about government surveillance and the US government was put under pressure to stop routine surveillance of calls and data.
Vodafone said that Snowden's leaks had "heightened tensions" over the ways in which certain countries have used national security laws to provide legal powers to agencies and authorities, some infringing on human rights. Additionally, widespread media reporting of intelligence agencies "harvesting" information has brought into question the role of communications operators, such as Vodafone, it said.
Vodafone's in-depth report covers all of the company's 29 operating businesses where it has received a lawful demand for assistance from a law enforcement agency or government authority between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014.
Whilst the company intended to create a single report covering all of the 29 countries, Vodafone said that it had become clear that there was " very little coherence and consistency in law and agency and authority practice, even between neighbouring EU Member States."
It also highlighted the "highly divergent views" between governments on the most appropriate response, and public attitudes towards surveillance that vary from country to country.
Vodafone laid the obligation to provide greater transparency at the feet of governments, saying it was they, not communications operators, who have the primary duty to provide this information. It said that individual operators cannot provide a full picture of the level of demands across a country, nor can it understand the context of the demands.
Additionally, different operators have different approaches to recording and reporting the same information, which leads to inconsistency, and each operator could record and disclose demands received in their own way.
"We believe that regulators, parliaments or governments will always have a far more accurate view of the activities of agencies and authorities than any one operator," Vodafone said in the report.
Shares in Vodafone were trading up 1.7% at 207.45 pence Friday.
By Hana Stewart-Smith; hanassmith@alliancenews.com; @HanaSSAllNews
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