Albania among 29 governments that asked for access to Vodafone user data

TIRANA, June 8 – Vodafone Group said this week 29 governments from Albania to the U.K. requested access to its network over a year, highlighting the scope of authorities’ monitoring operations. It is the first international company of its kind to release a transparency report on requests by authorities to monitor cell phone users.
The requests range from wiretapping, or intercepting calls and messages, to access to broader communications data, UK-based Vodafone said in its first law enforcement disclosure report that covers from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014.
Vodafone’s report focuses on lawful requests that it received from various governments. In some countries, the law dictates that authorities have direct access to an operator’s network, Vodafone said. That means agencies can access networks via their own direct link, without asking for the carrier’s permission or help, Vodafone said.
Vodafone is the world’s largest provider of mobile-phone services outside China, with more than 400 million customers in almost 30 countries stretching from the U.K. to Africa, India to Australia.