Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/736806
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2016 26 Letters GAVIN Gulia, Labour shadow minis- ter for home affairs, has hinted that the Malta Security Services are still able to eavesdrop without executive authorisa- tion after expressing concern over gov- ernment's power to authorise phone tapping. "I do not think there are adequate safeguards in the law that guarantee the MSS do not abuse of their powers by first tapping conversations and then seek ministerial or judicial authorisa- tion later. "The MSS already have the tools in their hands, so there is always the temptation to eavesdrop on private citizens' conversations. I am not saying that this is what they are doing but the possibility exists." Gulia has expressed concern over government's power to authorise tele- phone tapping and interception, saying only magistrates should have the power to allow the secret service's spooks to tap criminal suspects conversations and emails. But the MP has only stated he would present a private members bill only after having "unsuccessfully tried to push an amendment at the permanent committee for the consideration of bills". Malta's law carries no safeguard that protects civilians from abusive tapping and interception of their electronic communication by ministerial decree. There is also no public review of the interceptions conducted by the MSS, which is headed by former police com- missioner George Grech's right-hand man, Godfrey Scicluna. Gulia has now presented questions in parliament over the Malta Com- munications Authority's procurement of legal interception equipment for the MSS from Israeli firm Verint, which has close ties to the Israeli government. He follows in the footsteps of Joseph Muscat, the Labour MEP, who has asked the European Commission to look into the record of Verint. Verint, under its former name Com- verse Infosys, provided legal intercep- tion equipment to the FBI amongst other law enforcement agencies. Ac- cording to Fox News, a "backdoor" that provides the company remote access to the system had been accessed by unau- thorised third parties and jeopardised several high-profile investigations, and counter-terrorist monitoring prior to the September 11 attacks. Gulia has asked Home Affairs Min- ister Tonio Borg to confirm the Israeli government's ties to Verint, which reportedly finances almost two-thirds of its research and development. He is also asking the minister to confirm whether Verint will have con- tinued access to the records and data collected through the legal intercep- tion system. Italian firm RCS, a finalist in the ten- der award for the interception contract awarded by the Malta Communications Authority, is challenging the MCA in court over what it claims was "illegal and discriminatory" treatment. RCS claim their offer was cheaper than Verint, which already supplied Go Mobile and the MSS with their own interception systems, and that they were denied an appeal to the MCA's decision. Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. News – 10 September 2006 Gulia's fear: Security Service could easily abuse tapping powers No surprise Facebook is privacy villain This week, the "Belgian Big Brother Awards" announced that it had awarded the nega- tive prize for the worst privacy abuser to Facebook. Indeed, a public vote confirmed Facebook as the ultimate privacy villain of the year, a big majority of the votes going to the social network for successfully harvesting and generating personal data from people all around the world. Such news should ring a note of concern, to the public and also to young people who are not digitally literate enough to realise what this company does with their information, as well as to hapless older users who post their information online with no care for any possible consequences. Facebook has access to a wide range of personal data, and it tracks people's movements across the web, whether they are logged in or not. The devil is in the default: To opt out, you are expected to navigate Facebook's complex web of settings. Data algorithms that can make new assumptions about users are being constantly developed – even Facebook today would have difficulty knowing how they will use your data tomorrow. People should use Facebook with caution: posting less personal photos, giving away as little information as possible of their consumer likes, definitely not giving away any personal information. A word of caution to young users. Employers will look up your Facebook profiles, even Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat accounts in a bid to build up a digital profile of your thoughts and habits. Do you want to be judged by some stupid com- ment or photo uploaded 10 years before you started your working life? I hope parents and teachers take reasonable steps to educate children more about these reali- ties. Henry Borg, Rabat University bus most welcome It is with some relief that I note that a service for students has been introduced by the Malta Public Transport with the new Route 30 from Portes des Bombes to the Univer- sity of Malta, and the Junior College. It has been a nightmare for commuters to board a con- necting bus at Portes des Bombes, as dozens upon dozens of students would be waiting for the bus simply to go to Junior College. Allow me to point out that walking from Portes des Bombes to Guardamangia and then down to the Junior College is a piece of cake for these students. And yet they still felt the need to board the bus. Having said that, it is a relief that 'lesser mortals' will now be able to board a less congested bus at Portes des Bombes and hopefully get to their destinations on time. Anthony Bonnici, Zabbar Trams? – what an idiocy So, Simon Busuttil will give us trams to ease traffic congestion. But can he explain how, for the life of me, a tram will be more of a boon to motorists than a bus? Or was Busuttil talking through his hat? Trams go one way only: and that way is where the tracks are laid. A bus goes any where where the roads are wide enough. Any where, and every where, not like the one-way only trams. And buses take as many pas- sengers, too. So buses are far more convenient to have. They are also cheaper, because buses need only the road infrastructure which cars use. Trams would need the tracks, and the overhead electricity. That makes for additional expensive infrastructure. And this from the man who as- pires to run Malta! Robert Muscat Mosta