Vodafone wants to publish transparency reports to reveal government data requests

Vodafone wants to publish transparency reports to reveal government data requestsSubmitted by Sumit Yayavar on Sun, 01/19/2014 - 07:47 

The Guardian has revealed in a recent report that bigwig mobile operator Vodafone wants to publish transparency reports; and has written to British Home Secretary Theresa May and Justice Minister Chris Grayling, requesting them to lift the lid on user data requests.
To further reinforce its ongoing effort to get permission to publish transparency reports which detail the type and number of user-data requests which the company receives from government authorities, Vodafone is also pursuing the matter with government ministers in 24 other countries where it operates.
Vodafone's attempts to reveal phone tap data requests from governments essentially mark its retaliation against the use of telecoms networks for state surveillance. The company's decision to publish transparency reports follows Edward Snowden's whistle-blowing disclosure of government surveillance, particularly by the US National Security Agency.

Vodafone's request for revealing government's data requests is rooted in the fact that the existing UK law forbids mobile operators from revealing even general information about interception of communications. At present, there is only one source - the Communications Commissioner - from which the details about government requests are available, and legally issued.
About Vodafone's plans to publish transparency report, the company's privacy head Stephen Deadman said: "We want our networks to be big and busy with people who are confident they can communicate with each other freely; anything that inhibits that is very bad for any commercial operator."The Guardian has revealed in a recent report that bigwig mobile operator Vodafone wants to publish transparency reports; and has written to British Home Secretary Theresa May and Justice Minister Chris Grayling, requesting them to lift the lid on user data requests.
To further reinforce its ongoing effort to get permission to publish transparency reports which detail the type and number of user-data requests which the company receives from government authorities, Vodafone is also pursuing the matter with government ministers in 24 other countries where it operates.
Vodafone's attempts to reveal phone tap data requests from governments essentially mark its retaliation against the use of telecoms networks for state surveillance. The company's decision to publish transparency reports follows Edward Snowden's whistle-blowing disclosure of government surveillance, particularly by the US National Security Agency.
Vodafone's request for revealing government's data requests is rooted in the fact that the existing UK law forbids mobile operators from revealing even general information about interception of communications. At present, there is only one source - the Communications Commissioner - from which the details about government requests are available, and legally issued.
About Vodafone's plans to publish transparency report, the company's privacy head Stephen Deadman said: "We want our networks to be big and busy with people who are confident they can communicate with each other freely; anything that inhibits that is very bad for any commercial operator.