Not exactly a shocker, but — from the Moscow Times:
Mobile phone providers switched off their encryption systems for 24 hours on a government order, allowing the Federal Security Service and the police to eavesdrop on all calls. An alert notifying callers that their conversations could be listened in on popped up on cellphones around Moscow at 9 p.m. Tuesday and lasted until 9 p.m. Wednesday on an order by the Communications Ministry. The alert, depending on the model of cellphone, is usually either an exclamation point or an unlocked padlock.The Communications Ministry said it issued the order at the request of the Interior Ministry, Interfax reported Wednesday.
Link, Discuss (via Dave Farber's IP list)
