Iraq contractor bans cell phones for 'safety and security'

[strunke]

Iraq contractor bans cell phones for 'safety and security'

(CNN) -- A major Defense Department contractor has ordered its employees in Iraq to turn in their personal cell phones because "of a safety and security concern."

KBR says, "Any individual using a personal cell phone will be disciplined."

Houston, Texas-based KBR Inc., formerly Kellogg Brown & Root, issued a statement saying the company had sent a message with the order to its Iraq employees, but it did not explain the concern that prompted it.

"The matter giving rise to this message is still being reviewed by KBR management, so the company will not provide further comment at this time," the statement said.

According to an e-mail obtained by CNN, the company issued the order to all KBR employees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait -- although in its communications with CNN, the company specified only Iraq. In the e-mail, employees are ordered to stop using their cell phones as of 8 a.m. Saturday and turn them in to the company's human resources department.

"Any individual using a personal cell phone will be disciplined," the e-mail says. "Termination is an option of discipline. The cell phone will be confiscated."

According to the e-mail, employees will be given a receipt when they turn in their phones, which will be returned to them "when the individual departs the site."

Haris Memisevic, the KBR quality manager in Afghanistan who forwarded the e-mail to some employees, said he could not discuss the matter and referred calls to KBR's legal department.

A KBR employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was "not aware of any security breaches involving the use of cell phones" and that employees were not given any reason for the order.

He said he has no plans to comply and believes his personal security would be at risk without his cell phone.

"KBR has a communication system, but as with any system it does fail and we can only communicate with another installation by use of the cell phones," he said. "We pay for this use with our own funds."

Some corporate employees have company-provided cell phones, he said, but at his location there is only one company-provided phone for use if the communication system fails. He said the U.S. Army confiscates cell phones from Afghans who work at military installations and returns them when they finish their daily duties.

An Army spokesman told CNN on Saturday that the order is strictly a KBR initiative.

Iraq contractor bans cell phones for 'safety and security' - CNN.com

[Ddeere2]

What??!? This is crazy. I see it as security reason, but this is just stupid. Maybe someone gave out where they were, but they should just "discipline" that person if they haven't already and once again tell everyone what they should already know about what they can and can't say. My dad is over in Iraq with a Contractor and they let him use either the iridium they gave him or a local sim card he gets from there. He's using his AT&T phone that he took with him when he went. KBR are just cheapskates. I'm glad my dad didn't get a contract with them.

[Mobile Mike]

I wonder what's really going on here. There's got to be more to this.

[cabdorsj]

The reason given for the ban of cell phones is for the "safety and security" of KBR employees. KBR management explained that a fatality occured when an indirect fire incident happened at a base camp in Iraq. A cell phone was found near the the impact area and investigators found that phone calls had been made prior to impact. It is assumed that the insurgents responsible were able to key in on the cell phone signal and thus target the area where the cell phone was. While this could be a possibility, the insurgents would have to have sophisicated equipment and computers to even be able to locate a single cell phone. Or they would have had to have someone from the cell phone company to feed them the information. There are at least 3 different cell phone companies in Iraq so they would have had to have the information from all to make sure they could target the right phone. KBR management made the assumption that since the phone was used prior the incident, the signal was therefore used to target the area because the phone was used. This is not a valid explanation. The cell phone is constantly sending a signal to the nearest towers not just when the phone is in use. Add to that cell phones send encrypted digital signals. The insurgents would had to have had special transceivers in at least two differents locations with computer and special software to decrypt the phone's information that it was sending. All of this just to triangulate the phones location. On top of that I am sure if there was one cell phone there was probably at least 30 or more phones all sending signals to the nearest towers. The insurgents would have to have had a computer system that would be help them see all of the phones and then pick out the one that supossedly was targeted. I am contending that while it is a possibility that the insurgents could have used the phone to target, it is very probable that the insurgent in fact take the time to go through all of the necessary steps. It is just as likely that the insurgents fired the weapons as they normally do by very quickly setting them up pointed in the direction of the camp with no certain target shooting them off by a timer or a remote signal of some kind. Was the phone targeted? Probably not.

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by cabdorsj

KBR management explained that a fatality occured when an indirect fire incident happened at a base camp in Iraq. A cell phone was found near the the impact area and investigators found that phone calls had been made prior to impact. It is assumed that the insurgents responsible were able to key in on the cell phone signal and thus target the area where the cell phone was. While this could be a possibility, the insurgents would have to have sophisicated equipment and computers to even be able to locate a single cell phone.... Was the phone targeted? Probably not.

If that's the case, then banning all cell-phones is an over-reaction on the part of KBR management. You're 100% right when you say sophisticated equipment and/or inside help from an operator is needed. And again right when you say is it even worth the hassle and headache for the insurgents to go thru all that, when they can simply pop off a few shots at random and probably hit someone.

[Ddeere2]

Your right RadioRaders, its just KBR over-reacting. Not to long after I read this, my dad called me and I asked him about it, and the only thing he can think of is people saying things they're not supposed to. I don't believe that post about it being an incident. Its like saying that all the stuff that has happened to Blackwater is because of their equipment. Its all secure and it would have to be an inside job for anything like what cabdorsj said to happen.

[hf1khal]

Just a note in some countries (and possibly in Iraq too) encryption is deactivated so that could be a reason. Remember, a few months back there was a big thing in Afghanistan where the terrorists ordered that the cell network be shut down from early night till sun up and that went effective. Their reasons was that they have been tracked and they threatened to destroy if that was not done. I would not doubt it that is a good reason for KBR to disallow. If it is true then i would say it is a good decision.