While the world takes pains to isolate Tehran and neutralize its nuclear program, and Israeli officials issue increasing calls to ramp up the pressure, an Israeli high-tech company has apparently been supplying Iran with a steady stream of internet surveillance equipment for years. According to a Bloomberg report published Friday, Hod Hasharon-based high-tech company Allot Communications had been selling its Internet surveillance equipment to a supplier in Denmark, which in turn removed all packaging and labels and sold it to an Iranian distributor whose first name was Hossein. The product, called NetEnforcer, has reportedly been used in the past by other totalitarian regimes to identify and monitor Internet behavior, track cell phones and intercept email. Private investigator Ronen Solomon, who specializes in identifying Iranian technology smugglers, found that Hossein was in fact Hossein Derger, president of the private Iranian Internet company Pegah Communications. The Tehran-based company provides Internet security solutions. Until the Bloomberg report surfaced, the transactions had gone unnoticed by Israel, despite an extensive paper trail in Denmark. The report revealed that the sales began in 2006, in tandem with the approval for export to Iran procured by high-tech company Rantech. After Bloomberg published its report, Allot Communications issued a statement, saying "The company believes it is important to note that the Bloomberg article contains a number of inaccuracies. While Allot Communications' equipment is best in class network optimization and monetization, it is not designed for intrusive surveillance purposes. Its intent is to optimize Internet traffic for enterprises and Internet service providers by identifying and prioritizing applications. Our equipment lacks any capability to analyze or extract knowledge on the actual content of internet traffic." The statement went on to say that "Allot Communications sells its products through a network of distributors and re-sellers worldwide. Each distributor is generally assigned with a specific territory and is authorized to market Allot Communications products only within that territory. Beyond the contractual measures there is no electronic way for Allot Communications to locate or disable its products after shipment, unless the end-user proactively initiates a connection." "The company is investigating the claims contained in the Bloomberg article," the statement concluded. The Defense Ministry has launched an investigation into the allegations, and "will decide on a course of action based on the information we uncover." Israel forbids commerce with Iran under its Trading with the Enemy Order, which is based on the British Trading with the Enemy Act from World War II and prohibits any trade with a declared enemy state.
Israeli high-tech equipment being used for Iranian surveillance
Bloomberg report exposes transfer of Israeli-made technology to Iran via Danish distributor • Products in question generally used by totalitarian regimes to monitor Internet activity, track mobile phones and intercept emails.
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