Global Telecom Company Vodafone Says Several Governments Can Access Your Phone Records

Less than a day after the one year anniversary of Edward Snowden’s NSA surveillance leaks, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies Vodafone announced that several government agencies have access to their customers’ phone calls and text messages.

Vodafone, which serves millions of American consumers, said it values customer privacy, but it must comply with laws “designed to protect national security and public safety.”

In most of the 29 countries where Vodafone has major operations, law enforcement and intelligence agencies must have a warrant to listen to phone calls or look at text messages, emails or web chats, BBC reports.

In several countries, governments have “direct” and “permanent access” to Vodafone’s infrastructure  which means their respective security agencies don’t have to make an interception request, according to Sky News.

“In our view, it is governments – not communications operators – who hold the primary duty to provide greater transparency on the number of agency and authority demands issued to operators,” Vodafone says.