Vodafone: 'governments use us to spy on citizens'

'Direct access pipes' let spooks listen in on Vodafone customers' conversations

Government spy
(Image credit: Dima Korotayev/Epsilon/Getty Images)

Vodafone has confirmed the existence of secret "wires" which allow governments around the world to listen directly to conversations on its network, The Guardian reports in its ongoing series of stories on privacy and the security services.

Previous claims have suggested that some governments forced mobile phone providers to let them listen in at will, but Vodafone is the first phone company to break ranks and acknowledge that it accommodates security agencies in this way.

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