As Mr Townsend and Mr Daltry said many moons ago, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!".
Libya's new rulers fire up Gaddafi's surveillance tech
Libya's transitional government has quietly reactivated the surveillance technology it inherited from the Gaddafi regime, the Wall Street Journal reports. The technology is been used to track the mobile phone calls and online communications of Gaddafi loyalists. Government officials told the paper that they have seen dozens of …
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Friday 6th July 2012 08:31 GMT Anonymous Coward
they look up to us
i.e. the finest examples of advanced western democracy, all they do is imitate.
And now, with democracy and freedom firmly established in the land of Libya, all those businesses with offers of advanced technology, who might have been a little edgy in the days of the evil dictatorship, would be scrambling over themselves to help the new democracy with the same western/Chinese technology, etc.
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Friday 6th July 2012 08:43 GMT Khaptain
Dont forget to look at the suppliers
"Surveillance equipment was sold to the Gaddafi regime by suppliers in France, China and South Africa"
This actually says as much about the suppliers as it does about the libyans.
The technology has been available for a long time, here's looking at you "Echelon", so there's nothing really new here.
As a side point : It's a bit like asking IT Geeks not to open the box marked "Contains Highly Sophisticated Material" in the corner of the room.
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Friday 6th July 2012 09:09 GMT Mr Temporary Handle
Re: Dont forget to look at the suppliers
"
"Surveillance equipment was sold to the Gaddafi regime by suppliers in France, China and South Africa"
This actually says as much about the suppliers as it does about the libyans.
"
Hmm...
France and South Africa have a very long history of acting as middlemen supplying weapons and other embargoed materials. China is where most of this type of surveillance equipment is manufactured.
The true origin is probably the US and/or somewhere in Europe.
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Friday 6th July 2012 12:32 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Dont forget to look at the suppliers
Not necessarily.
You are likely to find that the original Lybian phone equipment was by Alcatel. So it is not surprising that it required a legal intercept module built by Alcatel. Add to that big H or little Z mobile to provide for cellular service (and snooping it) and probably Internet as well.
So it is quite likely that none of them acted as middlemen for USA or rest of Europe in this case.
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Friday 6th July 2012 13:41 GMT Khaptain
Re: Dont forget to look at the suppliers
As well as Alcatel there are other companies such as Thales which easily have the know-how ( definately on a military level ) to create and provide all the required equipment.
I believe that the DGSE are already well equiped from within.
The French even have their own equivalant off Echelon which some clod apptly named named "Frenchelon.... cough, cough"..
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Saturday 7th July 2012 12:06 GMT Anonymous Coward
Apes not pigs
Very accurate, asdf. And pigs are more colourful than apes - which is what we really are. If we could just adjust to that basic reality and get over ourselves, we would have a better chance of survival and happiness. All apes want to have a strong, undisputed, competent leader - and what they get is Qadafi, Saddam Hussein, Assad, Obama, Cameron or Blair. You can risk (or lose) your life and make huge sacrifices to overthrow one if you like - another one will be along shortly, indistinguishable except for the paintwork. Or you can walk along the street every four or five years and cast your vote. Same difference.
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