Date:11/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/03/11/stories/2006031104560400.htm

Back Mobile cos promise strict privacy

Our Bureau

TV expose on tapping rings alarm bells

A MOBILE PHONE

New Delhi , March 10

In the eye of a storm over a television expose on phone tapping, mobile operators Airtel and Hutch on Friday promised to investigate the issue even as they sought to assure the public that steps were being taken to ensure that such incidents did not take occur in future.

"For Airtel, client confidentiality and privacy are of utmost importance and we have stringent systems in place to ensure that client confidentiality is protected. We also have a very strict code of conduct for our employees and business associates. Any employee/business associate found violating the same is dealt in the strictest manner possible," a statement by Airtel said.

The company said that it was conducting an investigation into the matter.

A Hutch spokesperson said that the company "regretted the incident," and was investigating the matter. Hutch is also putting in place a stronger system to check such incidents, the spokesperson added.

However, telecom industry observers felt that it was difficult to put a system in place as such breaches involved human integrity.

The comments come in the wake of an expose where an undercover correspondent of a TV channel was able to obtain the confidential mobile records of his female colleague from a detective agency, for a price.

According to the channel, against payment of Rs 30,000 for three weeks, private detective agencies were able to give elaborate details of the people the in-house journalist had met and spoken to on her mobile numbers.