NetworkLabs

Instructions

1. Copy example letter at bottom of post.
2. Complain here
3. Add +1 in the comments section so we can keep track of how many people have expressed their concern.

A couple of days ago we wrote a blog titled “Twittering to End Dictatorship: Ensuring the Future of Web-based Social Movements” in which we expressed our deep concern that (Western) corporations might facilitate oppressive regimes in wiretapping and spying on their citizens. It turns out that our concerns are completely justified by the news of the last days:

• The Wall Street Journal reports that Nokia and Siemens have supplied Iran with deep-inspection technologies to develop “one of the world’s most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale”. The  Washington Post also reported this.
• Siemens has not just sold the “Intelligence Platform” to Iran, but to a total of 60 countries. Siemens calls it “lawful interception”, but in countries with oppressive regimes everything that the government does is lawful.
• The New York Times reports that China is requiring Internet censor software to be installed on all computers starting from July 1^st.

Nokia Siemens, the joint venture which developed and sold the monitoring centre installed in Iran, anticipated the problems we see today. They have a strict code of ethics with which to deal with the issues raised by censorship in Iran. This very bold code addresses issues of human rights, censorship and torture. To view it, you must go to their web site.

You may also complain to them about their violations using an online form in which they assure your anonymity. You can copy this template letter.

Please spread this petition on Twitter using #nokiafail and #siemensfail

Example Letter

I am deeply concerned about recent reports in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post that Siemens, in collaboration with Nokia, sold its “Intelligence Platform” to the oppressive regime of Iran. This “Intelligence Platform” is used to stifle the freedom of expression, spy on Iranian citizens and arrest people who want fair elections. People who are arrested are very likely to be tortured.

According to the Nokia Siemens Code of Conduct:

“Nokia Siemens Networks, ethical business conduct does not mean mere minimum legal compliance. As an industry leader, we aspire to be among the best in the world in corporate responsibility, actively promoting human rights and environmental protection through our products and solutions”.

“Nokia Siemens Networks will respect human dignity and promote human rights. Nokia Siemens Networks recognizes, with the international community, that certain human rights should be considered fundamental and universal, based on accepted international conventions and practices, such as those of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

“Among those rights that Nokia Siemens Networks views as fundamental and universal are: freedom from discrimination on any grounds; freedom from arbitrary detention, execution or torture; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; and freedom of opinion and expression.”

Selling the “Intelligence Platform” is a clear violation of your own Code of Conduct and we ask you to:

1. Investigate the sale of the “Intelligence Platform” to Iran and deactivate this Platform in Iran.
2. Refrain from selling the “Intelligence Platform” to oppressive regimes around the globe.

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Diederik van Liere  and Alison Kemper wrote this blog post, we express our individual opinions.