Harb Denies IMSI Analysis Infringes on Liberties, Holds Government responsible for Future Crimes

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

March 14 opposition MP Butros Harb denied on Tuesday that handing over security agencies a unique code used to identify an individual user on a GSM network known as IMSI would infringe on people’s liberties, a day after the government approved limited access to the so-called telecom data.

“It is unfortunate that there was a dispute” between the different members of the cabinet on the telecom data, Harb said during a press conference about differences during Monday’s government session on the telecom data.

The dispute erupted between the March 8 majority ministers from the Change and Reform bloc, Hizbullah and Amal on one side and centrists led by President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and ministers loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat on the other.

The disagreement led to an approval to hand over security apparatuses the telecom data within a limited geographic location and after the consent of a three-member expert judicial committee.

The deal came after the March 8 ministers rejected to give the agencies the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is a unique identifying number stored in the phone's SIM, except for certain areas as called for by the law.

However, Harb, who escaped an assassination attempt last week after detonators were found in the elevator of a building where he has an office, said that handing over the IMSI does not infringe on people’s civil liberties.

“I regret that the cabinet’s decision will cover the crimes and criminals in Lebanon … and encourage the killing of politicians and innocent civilians,” he said.

“The government will be held responsible for any crime that happens” in the future after Monday’s decision, the lawmaker added.

He also lauded Suleiman, Miqati, Charbel and the ministers loyal to Jumblat for their support to handing over the full data to security bodies.

Comments 19
Thumb geha 10 July 2012, 14:49

this was expected from the perpetrators hizbushaitan and their allies fpm to do whatever to cover for their murderous actions.
by killing Boutros Harb, it is the fpm who would have benefitted for the next elections, so there are so many question marks.
anyway, the lebanese people know exactly who the murderors are, and they are the same traitors alligned with the murderous syrian regime and his masters the iranians.
these traitors are responsible to launder money for iran and syria.

Thumb falanges 11 July 2012, 01:00

ok wow so funny.....comment on the story now

Thumb eli-g 10 July 2012, 14:52

these assasinations most likely will not stop unless the perpetrators are caught and convicted but who will do that in this republic?BY the way what is the penalty for trying to assasinate someone?Does it carry the death penalty?

Thumb geha 10 July 2012, 15:03

for sure.
anyway, being traitors, they will hang for sure.

Thumb bigsami 10 July 2012, 17:33

The perpetrators can easily be identified through data collected through the telecom network/system. But guess who controls that department and has refused to disclose FULL information? Where there is smoke....there is fire!

Thumb jabal10452 10 July 2012, 22:05

Bigsami got you there FT. Admit :-)

Default-user-icon Halaktouna (Guest) 10 July 2012, 14:55

What do the others have to hide?! this is the question

Default-user-icon Caligary (Guest) 10 July 2012, 15:20

This is by far a tedious loop and certainly someone somewhere is intentionally hiding or wants to hide the truth (Minster and his allies), indeed if we dwell into the technicalities of IMSI and Location Update of a Mobile Subscriber we will identify the full subscriber activities, other than the people of doing something wrong/illegal/viciousness/cowardly etc..., during a given time window and specific region/area (MSC/VLR/HLR) are few and limited people that change phones due to; battery dead, new phone, emergency etc... and these people I am certain they will not mind being identified during an ordeal like this. Therefore please stop giving excuses and admit it (i.e. Minister), that you are involved.

Thumb primesuspect 10 July 2012, 16:35

If this government is siding with the criminals, it shall then be represented in Holland next to Nasr Allah's lawyers. They shall be judged there. hijos de pu^a.

Thumb jabal10452 10 July 2012, 21:18

They wouldn't have objected to any access of the data if they didn't have something to hide. The data shows which unit connected to which radio base station. They can pinpoint the location and movement of every unit at any moment of time. They can also know who called who and where the callers were at that point in time. Thus they can detect patterns of calls and movement, and that is very important information.
By restricting the data to one limited geographical location, they would identify which units were in that area, but they can't tell where the units moved to once they left the area and who they contacted if the contacted unit was outside the area (say in another part of Beirut). In other words, the data that the "government" agreed to make available to the investigators will probably be useless. They want to hide something. They are afraid.

Default-user-icon M.H (Guest) 10 July 2012, 23:08

This has the smell of a fabricated assassination,I watched harb being interviewed and he could not fixate his eyeson the camera and he had a twitch,a sign of nervousness.If someone wants him dead, why bother wasting time rigging an elevator,when you can ambush him and his guards on the streets of beirut a la lebanese mafia style.Lot simpler, don't you think.

March 14 seem to be desperate at false tagging hoping it sticks.mind you the italian mafia is tipping lebanon to guard Berri from assassination.Wow oh wow.what's next in this hilarious comedi.

Default-user-icon Mortadella Bfestok (Guest) 10 July 2012, 23:25

Harb is so excited and the attempt wasn't even made on him! But like all else, March 14 want to hijack pretty much everything.

Missing allouchi 11 July 2012, 00:23

what's wrong with this picture??? We are asking for justice which is a basic human right...give the Authorities the required data to catch the criminals...that's all...is tat too much to ask from the M8'rs!!!

Missing kiserwanyaseel 11 July 2012, 00:35

What more is there to say… the killers are the ones who want to block the ability to catch the culprits.. so yes the shiaa and fpm and marada, and bath and ssnp are behind the assassinations and killings.. so no need for anymore investigations… they are against the STL, but they refuse to aid the security agencies and judicial sources in catching the criminals… go figure.. and some still believe that Lebanon still exists!! Lebanon Is long gone….

Default-user-icon Skyfall (Guest) 11 July 2012, 07:25

I read every day conspiracy theories about Hariri's death. I will expose my view which i think fits all the current developments.
Who would benefit from chaos in Lebanon? Syria, Hezbollah and Israel.
It was ordered by Syria, executed by members of Hezbollah . Hezbollah was close to Hariri specially Nasrallah, but i think Hezbollah is divided and there are people that are opening a private business. Hezbollah admitted as well it was penetrated by Mossad and CIA, which is a possibility that they had a connection as well with the murder. But if thats true , why did Nasrallah insist that he is responsible for everyone in hezbollah? that means it is true they did it, i mean if it was Israel and since he admitted they were infiltrated, just expose the proofs and give up those traitors. All those talks dont lead to nothing. only more guilt and proof they did it.

Default-user-icon Skyfall (Guest) 11 July 2012, 07:26

Anyways Hezbollah is incapable of controlling its own armed forces , they are loose in Lebanon and even the ennemy infiltrates them easily. What a joke of a resistance.

Missing youssefhaddad 11 July 2012, 12:06

These guys listen to all phone conversations and monitor the internet and they claim that they do not want to release the Data so they do not infringe on personal liberties?
Logic is trampled again in the police state of lebanon.

Default-user-icon Thanyeh Balla (Guest) 11 July 2012, 16:04

Who would want to terminate a nobody? I mean, really, who would want to? Someone like Harb has no imprint to leave on the political life in Lebanon. He will only be remembered as the man who offered to be a mounting camel for pretty much all masters. This brings about the following thought: the only group that might want him out of the way are Mafia Nakliyat Sido.

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