Xpat Opinion: Surveillance Of CEOs At State Media Could Be Systematic

  • 18 Jul 2016 9:00 AM
Xpat Opinion: Surveillance Of CEOs At State Media Could Be Systematic
The surveillance bug found in the office of Miklós Vaszily, CEO of MTVA, the state-owned television company, was only the tip of the iceberg, according to Hungarian news website 444.hu. The website claims – based on confidential sources – that as many as three CEOs were bugged at the company, and their systematic surveillance has been going on for a long time.

Office bugged

The whole story started in March, when Vazsily’s conference room was flooded due to heavy rain at the headquarters of MTVA. When workers removed the plastic case holding cables together, they found a microphone inside. They reported the find to the head of the security unit, who alerted police. Authorities started investigating due to “collection of protected data”.

Inspectors examined the site and found the other half of the surveillance device in the neighboring office, belonging to the head of the CEO’s cabinet, Csaba Enyedi. Not only did they find the parts of the microphone, but a camera and a voice recorder as well. Enyedi said he knew nothing of the devices. A third recorder was found in a locked cupboard in the office of Imre Vas, head of facilities.

According to eyewitness accounts, both Enyedi and Vas were escorted out by police and their homes were searched, but neither of them is a suspect.

Systematic and political

Although 444.hu did not specify where its information was from, the website claims it was not the secret services that ordered the surveillance. If that was the case, the police wouldn’t have started an investigation. Since surveillance was systematic and involved three people (all of whom were relatively new at the company), the news website claimed no personal or economic motives were involved.

“Every sign points to the fact that surveillance was systematic and political in nature,” 444.hu said.

What is even more suspicious is that none of the rooms can be entered without a security card. The floor that houses the CEO meeting rooms is protected even more, and only 8-10 people have a security card that opens the conference room. Even cleaning ladies need an escort to get in. The website suggests that security must have known about the devices as it is basically impossible to install them without their knowledge.

Source: Budapest Beacon

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