Chinese Firm Helps Iran Spy On Citizens 98
New submitter politkal excerpts from a report at Reuters: "A Chinese telecommunications equipment company has sold Iran's largest telecom firm a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring landline, mobile and internet communications, interviews and contract documents show. The system was part of a 98.6 million euro ($130.6 million) contract for networking equipment supplied by Shenzhen, China-based ZTE Corp to the Telecommunication Co of Iran (TCI), according to the documents. Government-controlled TCI has a near monopoly on Iran's landline telephone services and much of Iran's internet traffic is required to flow through its network. ... Human rights groups say they have documented numerous cases in which the Iranian government tracked down and arrested critics by monitoring their telephone calls or internet activities. Iran this month set up a Supreme Council of Cyberspace, headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said it would protect 'against internet evils,' according to Iranian state television."
Only China and Iran? Business as usual. (Score:5, Informative)
A XXX telecommunications equipment company has sold YYY's largest telecom firm a powerful surveillance system capable of monitoring landline, mobile and internet communications, interviews and contract documents show.
These days, it's surveillance systems, all the way down.
Everywhere.
Re:Only China and Iran? Business as usual. (Score:5, Informative)
Too true. If you want to make network gear for the US market, for example, it must be capable of packet intercept per CALEA [wikipedia.org].
Re:An outrage (Score:5, Informative)
Do we really care about Iranian citizens???
US and Europe has put economic embargo on Iran which directly harms normal Iranian. 30 years of embargo on civil aviation, directly supporting Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_support_for_Iraq_during_the_Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_war) , and now embargo on Iranian banks and swift banking communications have all been affecting normal Iranian citizens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._sanctions_against_Iran).
Re:Dear Iranian Friends (Score:3, Informative)
It's a well known fact that Chinese produce low-quality knock-offs that can't stand the test of time (or your pesky and stubborn dissidents).
I strongly suggest you procure top-quality American equipments - they let you go to eleven. Pay a little now and nail whole lot more pests in the long haul.
I'm afraid you're 15 years out of date. The boards in the "top-quality American equipment" probably have "made in China" stamped on them.
It's not just China (Score:4, Informative)
Irony Alert ... (Score:3, Informative)
Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room [wired.com]