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  • Watch Your Web: Armenian Police's Reported Capability To "Snoop" On

    WATCH YOUR WEB: ARMENIAN POLICE'S REPORTED CAPABILITY TO "SNOOP" ON INTERNET USERS RAISES CONCERNS

    http://armenianow.com/society/human_rights/49699/armenia_internet_spying_police_equipment_it
    HUMAN RIGHTS | 01.11.13 | 14:08

    Grigori Saghyan

    By SIRANUYSH GEVORGYAN
    ArmeniaNow reporter

    Armenia appears to have got its "share" of the continuing global
    "snooping" scandal as allegations have been made in the local media
    about the police having acquired the capability of spying on internet
    users.

    The pro-opposition Haykakan Zhamanak daily, citing its own sources,
    wrote this week that while so far security agencies in Armenia have
    been engaged in wiretapping people's phones and following their
    conversations, then now their opportunities will be expanded as the
    police have acquired the capability of controlling the internet domain.

    "The Russian militia (police) has an 'undeniable' role in this as
    it has donated a large amount of equipment to its junior partner. In
    summer our specialists on combat against cyber crime, in particular
    Police Chief Vova Gasparyan, were sent on a business trip to Sochi
    where there was a ceremonial session and they got a promise of
    assistance. Now 'certain circles' are concerned that the new capacity
    will be used against the 'internal enemy'," alleged the newspaper.

    The news spread quickly on online social networking sites, and
    people began to worry that the police might control their private
    correspondence and other online activity.

    Deputy Director of the Internet Society of Armenia organization Grigori
    Saghyan says that control of the internet and telephone conversations
    is no news, as, if necessary, the legislation of Armenia entitles
    law-enforcement agencies to engage in such activities.

    "And telephone operators are obliged to provide technical access
    so that in cases prescribed by law the police could have access to
    conversations that they consider necessary to listen to," says Saghyan.

    Under the Armenian law on electronic communications, in cases
    prescribed by law all operators and service providers shall
    provide law-enforcement and national security agents with access to
    communication equipment, infrastructure, connecting/disconnecting,
    routing and other similar devices, including devices required for
    the implementation of secret listening.

    "The law also stipulates that the operator has no right to secretly
    listen [to conversations] itself," says Saghyan.

    The internet expert connects the heightened public interest towards
    wiretapping-related allegations with the revelations made by former
    U.S. intelligence agent Edward Snowden. The 30-year-old computer
    specialist, who has been granted political asylum in Russia, revealed
    to the public earlier this year that American special services have
    been collecting data from major internet companies about communications
    of online social network users.

    Recently the international "snooping" scandal acquired a new dimension
    after leading western publications revealed that Washington has been
    eavesdropping on European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela
    Merkel, on the United Nations headquarters, and so on.

    The Armenian expert, speaking about control of data on the internet,
    says that Armenia does not have such technical means to be able to
    follow the online activities of people, therefore it needs to import
    these facilities.

    "There is a technical way to do that in Russia, it is called 'a
    system of operative-investigative measures', which allows you to
    collect data," says Saghyan, stressing that only, if necessary,
    and in accordance with corresponding procedures can law-enforcement
    agencies secretly follow internet users' activities, otherwise the
    evidence obtained this way will not be considered legal in courts.

    The police did not deny that it could now be in possession of such
    equipment. "The police always obtain appropriate technical means,
    there is a unit for fighting cyber crime, but this fight is being
    carried out for the benefit of the users," said police spokesman
    Ashot Aharonyan said.

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