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Vodafone Australia Employee Searched Journalist's Phone Records To Find Source

Posted by Soulskill on from the chilling-effects dept.

An anonymous reader writes: In 2011, a journalist named Natalie O'Brien published a series of stories on security problems in Vodafone's Siebel data system. "Customers' home addresses, driver's licenses and credit card details were all available online, O'Brien wrote, and criminal groups were paying for customers' private information." Now, Vodafone Australia has admitted that an employee went through her phone and text records to try and figure out who her sources were within the company. O'Brien wrote, "The invasion of privacy is devastating. It plays with your mind. What was in those texts? Who were they to? What did they see? What did they do with the information?" Despite the admission, Vodafone has denied that it engaged in improper behavior (PDF). The company says it found no evidence the employee was directed to do so by management. That said, leaked emails show management became aware of the privacy breach and its potential repercussions as early as 2012.

2 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Way to take the initiative by DumbSwede · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So... some guy in the data-center just take it upon himself to go look up the info on some journalist, ‘cause you know that’s what IT guys do all day long, look up stuff on people with no direction.

    The company has very strict
    controls and processes around the privacy of customer information, and has appointed a dedicated privacy officer.

    So glad they have this in place, seems to be doing a bang up job. I can totally see how some low level employee would totally disregard this to dig up dirt on a Journalist and her accomplices. Because, you know, there’s so much in it for the low level employee.

    --
    Letter To Iran
  2. You laugh but Costas Tsalikidis was found hanged by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Funny, except for a few things:

    Vodafone have been revealed to be the major company helping GCHQ spy on its own people and allies.
    Vodafone was the mobile network that spied on Greece ministers during the Olympics.
    Costas Tsalikidis, their engineer was found dead (hanged) when the bugging was discovered.

    http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/security/the-athens-affair

    So yeh ha ha ha +5 funny.