T-Mobile is in a bit of a pickle over in Germany, where it’s been accused of spying on users who just happen to be journalists and board members. Der Spiegel looks at the predictable catalyst…
Had it not been for the money, there is a good chance that the entire “unsavory story” — as a senior executive at German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom AG called it last week — would never have come to light. Most of all, though, it was a fax that revealed the story — and exposed an absurd concoction of economic spying, power-hungry megalomania, paranoia, and a complete disregard for the freedom of the press.
Anything that involves a consultant sending a threatening fax to his own employer, containing the phrase, “You should not underestimate my aggressive potential and my staying power,” is worth reading. Especially when that employer just happens to be a major international cellular network–albeit one that can’t even sponsor a sports team without the stench of corruption clinging to it. Magenta, bitches!
The overall geography, of bug-eyed insanity in response to internal leaks, might have been blandly Dunnesque. But this has an edgier feel: job losses, Sprint-style subscriber flight, tax-evading execs and bloodthirsty prosecutors sex up the dossier.
Did Deutsche Telekom Spy on Journalists and Board Members? [Der Spiegel]
Hmm, more less bug-eyed, more squinty.