Vodafone stated on its German website that it has not found evidence of any actions by its subsidiary Cable and Wireless that contradicted the laws of Germany, the UK and the EU. Vodafone also insists that neither GCHQ nor any other British intelligence agency was ever given direct access to its network, and that any interception could only take place with a warrant. This follows reports in newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, German TV channels WDR and NDR and the UK's Channel 4, after they had seen documents revealed by Edward Snowden.
Vodafone, which bought Cable & Wireless in 2012, also said it had never received any requests by non-German intelligence agencies or authorities to disclose data of German customers. In its statement reacting to the allegations, Vodafone also pointed out its customers’ right to data security. It said that laws to protect national and public security and to fight criminality and terrorism exist in every country and that these oblige every telecoms provider to disclose customer data to security and government agencies.
