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For Sale: Internet Spying Business Developed For Gaddafi

Posted by Soulskill on from the owner-only-drove-it-on-sundays-and-the-other-days dept.

itwbennett writes "French computer company Bull Group is looking to sell off the Internet spying software business of its subsidiary Amesys. The Eagle system, which was 'designed to build databases supporting lawful interception activities on the Internet,' has an interesting pedigree, having been 'developed for Libya after signing a 2007 contract with the regime there,' according to the WSJ."

19 of 36 comments (clear)

  1. Libyan Intelligence System should be valuable by retroworks · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's never even been used.

    --
    Gently reply
  2. Canada might be interested in buying this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If Bill C-11 passes, I imagine the government would love to have a unit like this to police the internets.

    1. Re:Canada might be interested in buying this by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Canadian swat team: (knocks on door) Sir? I have to ask you nicely to open this door at your earliest possible moment, or I will be forced to ask you nicely again!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:Canada might be interested in buying this by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Unless politicians are a lot different in Canada, I have a pretty good hunch just where that money went.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Partial trade embargos never work by Nutria · · Score: 1

    Even if my "virtuous" country had barred it's companies from working for Teh Eevil, some other not no virtuous country's companies will be more than willing to do the work (and employ it's workers at the same time).

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    1. Re:Partial trade embargos never work by __Paul__ · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because unemployment is so much more important than ethics.

      Fuck it, let's allow our private corporations to supply goods (weapons) and services (intelligence) to terrorist states too. It'll help fix the unemployment problem, and if we don't do it, someone else will!

      --
      worldmobilenet.com -- World Prepaid Wireless Internet plans
    2. Re:Partial trade embargos never work by slick7 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because unemployment is so much more important than ethics.

      Fuck it, let's allow our private corporations to supply goods (weapons) and services (intelligence) to terrorist states too. It'll help fix the unemployment problem, and if we don't do it, someone else will!

      Look what happened to Gaddafi, thanks to the Rothschild banksters. Go ahead, use the program, and you'll end up just like him, besides, the Promise software has done and can do more damage than anyone realizes.

      --
      The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
    3. Re:Partial trade embargos never work by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Damn straight, let capitalism sort it out. It will create jobs, both in the weapons industry as well as the military, and as a side benefit, those military positions get freed up every now and then and have to be restocked with more unemployed people.

      The system works!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Patents by rabenja · · Score: 2

    ...ensues long patent lawsuits from Google and Facebook...

  5. plenty of competition by dutchwhizzman · · Score: 2

    It's not like you can't already buy software for that. Most of the suppliers for these have a long list of non disclosed governmental agencies of various countries as their customers. I'm fairly certain most will also have sold their product to regimes that were considered "okay" at the time but fell from grace later on.

    --
    I was promised a flying car. Where is my flying car?
  6. Reviews by Crasoose · · Score: 2

    Pretty sure it would be easy to dissuade a potential buyer, their only review from a satisfied customer was his last video entry to the world.

  7. Re:I'm sure someone will find a use for it by zlives · · Score: 1

    much better software already implemented!!

  8. Good for them by SolitaryMan · · Score: 1

    Lucky there is a still huge (and growing) market for that!

    --
    May Peace Prevail On Earth
  9. Re:Fuck those faggot froggies by lightknight · · Score: 1, Troll

    Shush. They make excellent cheeses, which is more than enough reason to keep them in good company.

    --
    I am John Hurt.
  10. Governement support by manu0601 · · Score: 2

    Current France's president is quite unlikely to support that kind of investigation, given how close it got with Ghadaffi. We can be confident that french authorities validated the sell of this software. Fortunately, president Sarkozy is about to be shown the door on upcoming elections.

  11. I guess they'll have to find a new buyer by Arancaytar · · Score: 1

    Since Gaddafi is, you know, sorta dead.

    But luckily, there is no end of customers who want this stuff - and they probably don't even have to look overseas.

  12. Re:I'm sure someone will find a use for it by Capitaine · · Score: 1

    Well, to be jailed, they should have done something illegal. Being French, I know the French government sometime take liberties with the rule of law but I would prefer them to avoid it. The bid was backed by French government and was aimed at "fight against terror". Being unethical doesn't make it illegal. The problem comes more from politicians than arms dealers.

  13. Re:Fuck those faggot froggies by lightknight · · Score: 1

    Why the down-vote? They do make excellent cheeses.

    --
    I am John Hurt.
  14. Let's start collecting! by amix · · Score: 1

    So, let's get our hands on this. Maybe the EFF will jump in and we can turn the steering wheel. It most probably has been developed to spy on fellow citizens and suppress their human rights, but who said billion dollar companies would have them? ;-) We could use it to find out, what Grand Inquisitors Google and Facebook is doing exactly with our data.

    --
    Hello?? Fred?! Is this you?