Telecom Italia wiretapping scandal

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

Telecom Italia, one of the major electronic communications providers in
Italy is in the middle of a huge scandal regarding the illegal wiretapping
and surveillance of the telephone networks.

The journalists from the weekly L’Espresso have proven that an entire system
called Radar was capable of recording sensitive information about millions
of Italians. The system was discovered by the internal audit, but also by
the Milan Prosecutors that have opened an investigation against Marco
Mancini, the deputy director and director of the first “foreign” or
counter-intelligence division SISMI (Military Intelligence and Security
Service) and his friends Giuliano Tavaroli former director of security in
Telecom Italia and Emanuele Cipriani, owner of the private investigation
company Polis d’Istinto.

Tavaroli, who occupied the key national position to which were passed all
authorized requests by magistrates to make wiretaps, has recently resigned
and is under investigation by the Milan Prosecutors for association in
violating privacy. In the computers of another central figure of the
scandal, Cipriani, the magistrates have found a huge archive of files
regarding magistrates, political persons, football players and referees –
all the major figures in the recent scandals in Italy. Apparently, wiretaps
that could have been used to blackmail them were also found during the
investigation.

According to Telecom Italia’s own investigation, their procedure and
machines used for the legal wiretaps had a number of flaws and it was
technically possible to spy on the telephone conversations, without leaving
any trace. Moreover the interceptions were analysed with two special
software programs: Enterprise Miner and Analyst’s Notebook.

An investigation was started also by the Italian Data Protection Commission
(Garante per la protezione dei dati personali) to check if the personal
data protection requirements have been observed.

The situation has become much more complicated after the recent death of
Adamo Bove, an investigation cop and a leading expert on electronic
surveillance who apparently committed suicide by jumping from the highway.
Bove had been hired by TIM to manage their Radar software
system and had discovered a flaw in the system allowing people to enter the
Telecom system without a trace. He announced the fact to the Milan
magistrates, that has lead to the above-mentioned top-secret investigation.

The telecom wiretapping scandal has shown that private companies and
reporters in connection with SISMI were able to access information regarding
Italian citizens, using the system in place for legal wiretapping.

The man from the case “Thus they were spying for Telecom” speaks (only in
Italian, 2.06.2006)
http://www.repubblica.it/2006/05/sezioni/cronaca/spionaggio-calcio/parla-007-privato/parla-007-privato.html

The suicide thriller, poisons and a too slow investigation (only in Italian,
24.07.2006)
http://www.repubblica.it/2006/07/sezioni/cronaca/suicidio-bove/giallo-inchiesta/giallo-inchiesta.html

Telecom case – The Data Protection Authority makes a move (only in Italian,
29.05.2006)
http://punto-informatico.it/p.aspx?id=1504309

Need for Enhanced Security Measures in Processing Telephone Traffic Data –
Decision of 1 June 2006 – Italian Data Protection Authority (1.06.2006)
http://www.garanteprivacy.it/garante/doc.jsp?ID=1303462

007 Operazione Corriere (only in Italian, 1.06.2006)
http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio/007%20Operazione%20Corriere/1300368//0