Telephone Tapping Extravaganza

June 10, 2008 · Filed Under Italian news · 1 Comment 

In some ways, one can almost understand why Berlusco and Co want to reduce the level of telephone tapping which goes on in the Living Museum. Well, I can now, after having heard the number phone tapping operations  which took place during 2007 in Italy on the news this evening.

Over in the CIA, FBI, NSA run US, although this is a little hard to believe, only around 1,700 telephone conversations were listened in on last year. While in France, the joys of telephone tapping led to around 20,000 calls being spied upon. In the UK only around 5,300 potential bad guys had their telephone calls bugged.

Meanwhile in the mafia HQ that is Italy, nearly 130,000 people managed to attract the attention of Italy’s security services last year. Wow! There must be one heck of a lot of bad guys in this country. Not to mention an awful lot of policemen who don’t do much all day apart from listening in on other peoples calls, and reading text messages and emails.

The figures telling of this veritable avalanche of phone tapping came from an Italian socio-political research institute called EURISPES. This organisation calculated that, back in 2005, one Italian in four had had his or her telephone conversations, text messages or emails intercepted by security services seeking instances of dodgy dealings.

Over the last 10 years or so, some 30 million Italians have come under surveillance of one type or another. This figure may even put the ECHELON efforts to shame. So much for Italy’s draconian privacy laws!

As a matter of interest, all the information on the level of telephone tapping surveillance appears to have been brought to light by none other than Berlusconi’s very own party. I wonder why.

Odd that not many people seem to be investing in the subject of my ‘The Politicians’ Favourite Cell Phone‘ post.

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Berlusconi Speaks

June 7, 2008 · Filed Under Italian politics · 1 Comment 

Well, it looked like Berlusconi, sounded like the man himself, and as far as I know he has not, as yet, denied speaking, or saying what he said.

What exactly did Italy’s esteemed prime minister go on about? Well two things were mentioned which caught my ear, if I heard correctly that is.

Firstly, Berlusco is going to ban telephone tapping orders unless required in connection with investigations concerning terrorism or organised crime.

This is a move designed, most probably, to help Italy’s politicians avoid their loose tongues being caught uttering embarrassing words, as has happened on a few prior occaisions. Now, any member of a law enforcement authority who orders phone tapping operations which involve people who are neither members of the various mafias or involved in suspected terrorist activities will be prosecuted and thrown into jail for around 5 years. A great way to encourage the police to do their job. Not.

Of course, politicians caught chatting with known members of organised crime syndicates may still be caught out by phone tapping surveillance operations, unless, that is, new Italian laws are worded to exclude dodgy politicos from being mentioned in connection with such investigations. Anything is possible.

The other slightly worrying thing which is was mentioned by the man with a short term memory, was the initiation of a nuclear power generation programme in Italy. Why is this worrying? One word: trash.

Yes, down in Naples, the Italian government has proved itself somewhat incapable of managing the disposal of normal domestic waste, as well as not doing a fat lot to prevent the dumping of toxic waste around the countryside near Naples. This post ‘Rubbish in Naples, Dioxin in Mozzarella, and now Toxic Wine‘ talked about one of the consequences of illegal fly-tipping in the area.

Now, if the Italian government is unable to prevent these episodes, who is to say that they will be capable of successfully controlling the disposal of highly toxic nuclear waste? And now that the politicians’ phones cannot be tapped, nobody will ever find out about the skulduggery going on behind the scenes.

What can be hoped is that nuclear power generation technology has now moved on to such an extent that the levels of toxic waste produced are so low as to not prove too much of a threat, even in the event that Italy makes a pigs ear of the disposal of such waste.

However, one also wonders why Germany, which also appears to be resurrecting nuclear power generation, does not want Italy to become part of the 5+1nuclear power generation association…

Why sunny Italy does not whole heartedly embrace clean solar power is anybody’s guess.

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