On these days, while people are arrested, wounded, tortured and killed in Iran, there is no time for petitions.
PLEASE READ AND TAKE ACTION. YOU CAN HELP!
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The Case
Last year Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) has delivered what is known as a monitoring center to Irantelecom, Iran’s state-owned telephone company. According to NSN, the servers were sold for “lawful intercept functionality”. This term is used by the cell-phone industry to refer to law enforcement’s ability to “tap phones, read e-mails and surveil electronic data on communications networks”. (link 1) [please find the links at the end of this article]
NSN denies that the monitoring center sold to Iran can be used for monitoring or cencorship of the internet traffic, but it admits that the system has the capability to conduct voice monitoring of local calls on Iran’s fixed and mobile telephone network. (link 2)
True, the monitoring system may be used to prevent criminal and terrorist activities in democratic countries where violation of privacy is subject to court’s permission. But in a country like Iran, “Lawful Interception” means much more than this. It means continuous violation of basic human rights of freedom seekers. So, even if we blindly accept NSN’s statement, it is not difficult to understand that the monitoring system serves the Iranian regime to track, trace and hunt down its opponents, especially on these crucial days. And those opponents are being subjects to arrests, battery, torture, and some of them may be subjects to execution.
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The System
But we should take Nokia Siemens’s statement with caution. I have found a document which has proudly written and published by the company, but somehow it seems that now they are trying to hide it. I put this document on my website, to prevent further concealing of it from public view:
“NSN Intelligence Solutions Monitoring Center” (link 3) is a detailed document which reveals the full capabilities of this system. Quote:
“The features of our Monitoring Center – at a glance:
- universal monitoring center concept for all monitoring requirements within all telecommunication networks:
- fixed networks PSTN (local and international exchanges)
- mobile networks GSM, CDMA, GPRS, 3G (UMTS/W-CDMA)
- Next Generation Networks (NGN)
- IP Networks (local loop, access network, ISP and internet backbone)
- automatic correlation of communication content to IRI
- mono and stereo voice recording, optionally compressed
- full duplex/no compression recording for data demodulation (fax, internet, e-mails, etc.)
- customized add-on applications
- centralized or decentralized Monitoring Center
- transportable Monitoring Center (‘MC to go’)
- scalable and adaptable to customer requirements
- joint roadmap for upcoming telecommunications technology and Monitoring Center”
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Simply said, not only monitoring of telephony but monitoring of everything, including internet.
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Their work is not finished with just selling the system
A smooth operation of such a complicate system requires continuous maintenance, service and support by experts, usually provided by the seller company itself. Another quote from the “NSN Intelligence Solutions Monitoring Center” document:
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“…a global service network and distribution system which include customized monitoring services and after-sales-support depending on their operational needs and demands.
Examples are:
- consultation, network questionnaires and technical workshops.
- all-round assistance in meeting legal requirements when planning LI solutions for new IP networks
- tailored financing solutions and leasing arrangements
- project management
- system and network integration
- training of system users
- system support
- system and capacity optimization
- system maintenance, hard- and
- software upgrades
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…Deep understanding of security issues – inside military organizations, MOI, and other security services – as well as a broad security awareness contribute to IS’ excellent relationships, which are based on trust, reliability and stability – result in long term, thoroughly satisfied customers.“
…And the dictatorship of Iran seems to be a very satisfied customer.
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What Can We Do?
The least we can do is:
Taking action for a complete cease of the maintenance, service and support of the monitoring system.
This may disrupt the system and harm its efficiency, if not completely stop its operation.
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The Address 1.0
Is the target of our action Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN)?
NSN has stated that: “On March 31st, 2009 Nokia Siemens Networks and Perusa Partners Fund IL.P., a private investment firm advised by Munich based Perusa GmbH, successfully closed the sale of Nokia Siemens Networks’ Intelligence Solutions business to Perusa.”
Trovicor Intelligence Solutions from Munich is Perusa GmbH’s subsidiary (link 4) which is responsible now for the monitoring system developed by Nokia Siemens Network. So, the target should be now Perusa and Trovicor.
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But wait!
Trovicor’s website says: “Trovicor was founded as the VDR (Voice & Data Recording) business unit within the Siemens corporation in 1993. Since then, we have become an industry leader who provides project and turnkey intelligence solutions.” (link 5)
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It is not clear if Trovicor is still connected officially to Siemens. But there are some interesting facts:
Johann Preinsberger who just a year ago was Head of Worldwide Sales & Customer Care at Nokia Siemens Networks, is Trovicor’s managing director today.
Jesper Mathiesen who was Head of Solution sales Management in NSN until Marh 2009, is doing the same job at Trovicor since then.
Manfred Bendisch, recently Product Manager at NSN and Business Development Engineer at Siemens at the same time, is now serving Trovicor as Product Manager Intelligence Platform.
Michael Eisenschmid, former head of product management at NSN, is doing the same job at Trovicor now.
And there are more. In fact, each of the Trovicor’s managers I checked – used to do the same or a similar job in NSN.
The same companies, the same people. All in the family?
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A summary of what we have until now about our target of action:
1. Nokia Siemens claims that it sold its monitoring system to Perusa.
2. Perusa’s subsidiary Trovicor is now holding the monitoring system.
3. Trovicor was founded by Siemens in 1993.
4. Many of Nokia Siemens managers who were in charge with the monitoring system are in charge at Trovicor with similar jobs.
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Is this just a migration of qualified managers from one company to another?
Or can we suspect that despite their denial, Nokia Siemens Networks are still holding the monitoring system in their hands – but since they got criticized for selling the system to countries like Iran, they just prefer to hide themselves in the dark background and let the dirty job done by “others”?
After all, Trovicor, being an expertising company within a narrow field, cannot be harmed by bad public relations. But the bad public relations can harm the business of two consumer giants like Nokia and Siemens.
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The Address 2.0
Regarding to this information, I think that we may target our action to any of the companies mentioned above:
Perusa GmbH, Trovicor GmbH, Nokia Siemens Networks, as well as each of Nokia and Siemens.
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Take Action
On these days, while people are getting arrested, wounded, tortured and killed in Iran, there is no time for petitions.
I am suggesting anyone who cares about the struggle of the Iranian people for freedom, to:
1. Contact the managers of those companies and demand the immediate cease of the maintenance, service and support of the NSN monitoring system at the service of the Iranian dictatorship. This should be done without harming the regular communication systems used by the people of Iran.
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2. Contact any public personality and journalist you know personally and ask them to pay attention to this issue.
Whether you send the managers an email, make a phone call, or go yourself to one of the companies, I am asking you to be polite and topical.
If you send them a letter or email, please write a personal letter, created individually. I will not provide any standard template for you to use. Such letters just invite a standard template response.
Remember: Our aim is not to clean our conscience by castigating those people, but to cause them to stop any technical support and service to the monitoring system.
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The Contacts
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Perusa GmbH
Theatinerstrasse 40 80333 Munich
tel. +49 89 2 38 87 89-0 fax: +49 (89) 2 38 87 89-50
email: info@perusa.de
www.perusa.de
CEOs:
Dr. Christopher Höfener email: hoefener@perusa.de
Dr. Christian Hollenberg email: hollenberg@perusa.de
Dr. Hanno Schmidt-Gothan email: schmidt-gothan@perusa.de
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Trovicor GmbH
Machtlfingerstrasse 7
DE-81379 Munich, Germany
+49 89 20 80 35-500
info@trovicor.com
www.trovicor.de
Managing Director: Johann Preinsberger email:________________
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Nokia Siemens Networks
Head office: Karaportti 3
02610 Espoo, Finland
PO Box 1
FI-02022 Nokia Siemens Networks
+358 71 400 4000 (Finland)
+49 89 5159 01 (Germany)
www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
Find all worldwide NSN addresses and phones here.
CEO: Simon Beresford-Wylie email: _______________
Chairman: Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo email: olli-pekka.kallasvuo@nokia.com
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Nokia
Keilalahdentie 2-4,
FI-02150 Espoo
Post address:
P.O. Box 226,
FI-00045 Nokia Group Finland
Tel. +358 (0) 7180 08000
www.nokia.com
CEO: Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo email: olli-pekka.kallasvuo@nokia.com
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Siemens AG
Wittelsbacherplatz 2
D-80333 Munich
Germany
+49 (69) 797 6660 +49 (800) 225 53 36
contact@siemens.com
www.siemens.com
President and CEO: Peter Loscher email:_______________
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Anyone who can find the missing email addresses here, please send to shrtmdr [at] gmail.com
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@shariatmadari
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LINKS
(1) “The Washington Times” article, April 13, 2009
(2) Nokia Siemens Statement: Provision of Lawful Intercept capability in Iran – June 22, 2009
(3) “NSN Intelligence Solutions Monitoring Center” (pdf)
(4) http://www.perusa-partners.de/english/interest/interest.php
(5) http://www.trovicor.de/about-us
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more NSN links:
The Wall Street Journal, 23 June, 2009
Psiphon’s NokiaSiemens’ file: The central nervous system of a police state
One More Time: Iran Isn’t Using Deep Packet Inspection
Five technologies Iran is using to censor the Web
BBC News, 22 June, 2009
Guardian, 22 June 2009
Technology, Business and democratic Rights in Iran – Update on Nokia Siemens Networks
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