Greece’s telecoms regulator has fined the Greek unit of Vodafone (Vodafone Hellas) 19.1 million euros for breaching privacy rules. This isn’t the first time Vodafone has been fined in Greece. Last year, Greek authorities revealed that more than 100 people, including the country’s prime minister, had their mobile phones tapped around the time of the Athens 2004 Olympics. The case became public after Vodafone informed the government of its concerns when it suspected its equipment was being used.
Earlier in December 2006, Greece’s privacy watchdog fined Vodafone Hellas 76 million euros for a “number of infringements attributed to the company”, without giving details. Naturally, the carrier said it would appeal against the decision.
Apparently, calls were relayed to unknown destinations via four mobile phone antennas in central Athens. The bugging stopped when Vodafone Greece discovered the software and removed it from the system.
[Via: Reuters]