International mobile network operator Vodafone has revealed the extent of government surveillance of its customers worldwide.

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nternational mobile network operator Vodafone has revealed the extent of government surveillance of its customers worldwide.

The company has published a report covering 29 countries in which it operates, detailing the requests made by various governments to access data communications with customers.

This law enforcement and intelligence agencies to request this information is not new. But Vodafone said that the development of communication technology - and the willingness of governments to engage in it - has created tension between citizens' right to privacy and the need of the state to ensure safety and security. Concerns about widespread surveillance and data collection by the common intelligence agencies sparked a debate on the extent and legitimacy of such monitoring.

While in most places, Vodafone, retains control over the systems used for lawful interception of communications, it revealed that a small number of countries where it works (not named), the authorities have direct access to the operator's network, bypassing the telecom completely.

As a result, in these countries, public authorities shall have full and constant access to all client communications through its own direct connection - without a wiretap order.

The report focuses on two categories of law enforcement requests, which represent the majority of all this activity: lawful interception and access to communications data.

The company said that it does not refuse to comply with requests that fall into a different category of claims: illegal ones. He said that the majority of rejections issuing tend to be defects in the legal process or documentation, or in response to requests issued under the wrong statutory powers.