Blue Coat Concedes Its Devices Operating in Syria 90
A few weeks ago, in reaction to claims that Blue Coat systems were being used to track internet use in Syria, a company spokesman denied the charges here, saying "To our knowledge, we do not have any customers in Syria," and that the company followed the web of regulations that would prohibit sale to certain countries, Syria among them. In response to the logs on which the claims were based, he said "it appears that these logs came from an appliance in a country where there are no trade restrictions." A report at the Wall Street Journal says that the company has now acknowledged that Blue Coat devices are being used in Syria after all; the paper reports that at least 13 of the censorware boxes are in use there, and cites an unnamed source who says "as many as 25 appliances have made their way into Syria since the mid-2000s, with most sold through Dubai-based middlemen."
Duh! (Score:5, Insightful)
Who here is surprised by this?
I'm sure a nice premium was paid to the Dubai distributor, who also most likely set up proxies for Syria so the update requests to BlueCoat look like they originate in the UAE.
I'd be stunned to learn there wasn't more than a few dedicated suppliers in the Middle East who do nothing BUT funnel high-tech equipment into Syria and Iran, along with anyone else who pays in cash. They probably have plenty of competition from Russian distributors.