6 ms·

Nokia, Siemens and Iran: When technology gets bloody

11 points by swombat 17y ago

unwind 17y ago
All I get is "Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.". The Telegraph seems to have retracted the post ... It's in Google's history, but doesn't seem to be cached.
- swombat 17y ago
  UPDATE: It's back up now. http://twitter.com/Bash/status/2342437314 http://twitter.com/Bash/status/2342437314 "Yes, my latest Telegraph post about Nokia and Siemens' involvement in Iran has been pulled. Updates as I have them." Wonder what's going on there... Do you have a link to the cache for others to read?
brl 17y ago
I'm not sure NSN did anything wrong here. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press%20releases/news-archive/Provision%20of%20Lawful%20Intercept%20capability%20in%20Iran.htm http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press%20rel...
- yardie 17y ago
  Legally, they did nothing wrong. But ethically and morally? They probably didn't expect the blowback they are receiving now. But I do think it is warranted. When companies do business with oppressive regimes then they reap what they sow. Sure the deal was done probably years before the election took place. But did it not occur to anyone involved that these people, "the Ahmidenijad government", aren't good guys. 20 years ago, Nike got dragged over the nails because the companies they contracted with were using child labor and using inhuman working conditions. Legally, they did nothing wrong but the bad press made them take note that their involvement wasn't 100% guilt free. They paid a moral cost and now go out of their way to remind people that they don't use sweatshop labor. Hopefully, this will remind Nokia, Siemens, and NSS that there is a human cost in every business transaction.
  - whughes 17y ago
    Siemens should already know this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2233890.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2233890.stm It's particularly disappointing for a company with that kind of history to continue unethical behavior.
    - brl 17y ago
      Godwin!
  - brl 17y ago
    I'm not so happy that NSN sold lawful interception gear to Iran, but I don't think lawful interception should exist at all in any country. Every government that spies on it's citizens is an 'oppressive regime' in my opinion. If law enforcement is an acceptable excuse for such surveillance in the US then why not in Iran as well?
Tichy 17y ago
I never fully understood how citizens of such countries expect to remain anonymous on the internet. The explanation "if you build the network for somebody, you also give them monitoring tools" sounds plausible to me.

11 points by swombat 17y ago

All I get is "Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.". The Telegraph seems to have retracted the post ... It's in Google's history, but doesn't seem to be cached.

swombat 17y ago
UPDATE: It's back up now. http://twitter.com/Bash/status/2342437314 http://twitter.com/Bash/status/2342437314 "Yes, my latest Telegraph post about Nokia and Siemens' involvement in Iran has been pulled. Updates as I have them." Wonder what's going on there... Do you have a link to the cache for others to read?

brl 17y ago

I'm not sure NSN did anything wrong here. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press%20releases/news-archive/Provision%20of%20Lawful%20Intercept%20capability%20in%20Iran.htm http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com/global/Press/Press%20rel...

yardie 17y ago
Legally, they did nothing wrong. But ethically and morally? They probably didn't expect the blowback they are receiving now. But I do think it is warranted. When companies do business with oppressive regimes then they reap what they sow. Sure the deal was done probably years before the election took place. But did it not occur to anyone involved that these people, "the Ahmidenijad government", aren't good guys. 20 years ago, Nike got dragged over the nails because the companies they contracted with were using child labor and using inhuman working conditions. Legally, they did nothing wrong but the bad press made them take note that their involvement wasn't 100% guilt free. They paid a moral cost and now go out of their way to remind people that they don't use sweatshop labor. Hopefully, this will remind Nokia, Siemens, and NSS that there is a human cost in every business transaction.
- whughes 17y ago
  Siemens should already know this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2233890.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/2233890.stm It's particularly disappointing for a company with that kind of history to continue unethical behavior.
  - brl 17y ago
    Godwin!
- brl 17y ago
  I'm not so happy that NSN sold lawful interception gear to Iran, but I don't think lawful interception should exist at all in any country. Every government that spies on it's citizens is an 'oppressive regime' in my opinion. If law enforcement is an acceptable excuse for such surveillance in the US then why not in Iran as well?

Tichy 17y ago

I never fully understood how citizens of such countries expect to remain anonymous on the internet. The explanation "if you build the network for somebody, you also give them monitoring tools" sounds plausible to me.