An unidentified young woman speaks on her cellular phone while walking along the Brian Lara Promenade in Port-of-Spain yesterday. The Government's revelation of illegal wiretapping of land lines and cellular phones has been major local news recently.
Author: JOEL FAUSTIN
PRIVATE telecommunications provider Digicel yesterday distanced itself from the wiretapping surveillance carried out by the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA). In a statement, Digicel said it has never monitored its customers’ accounts nor was it “aware of any details” about the surveillance undertaken by the SIA in the wake of the Government’s expose that the agency had tapped the phones of persons in public life and private citizens under the previous PNM administration. President George Maxwell Richards was among those persons who was spied on via wiretapped telephones.
Digicel said it did not have the capability to “carry out these actions” but suggested that it cooperated with the Ministry of National Security on an undisclosed matter of national security in keeping with the terms of its licence.
“Digicel has no control or insight into who has been monitored. Digicel was also assured that the equipment would be used solely for investigating issues of national security and our compliance was therefore in keeping with our licence to operate.”
Digicel said the equipment used for the “national surveillance was purchased and is therefore owned and operated by the Ministry of National Security”. According to the Telecommunications Act 2001 (Act 4 of 2001), subsection 37 (e) states the licensee is required, “upon request made by the Minister of National Security and subject to any written law to collaborate with the ministry in matters of national security”.
State-owned TSTT, in a statement yesterday, said it preferred not to make a statement on the matter. “Following recent disclosures on the issue of wiretapping and the decision of the Government to engage the office of DPP to consider further inquiries, TSTT wishes to decline from making any public comment on the matter at this time.
The public can be assured however that the company will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities on any investigations into the matter,” said TSTT.
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