30.11.2009

Telecom operators obliged to notify of information security of communications services

As of the first of December, the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA), is entitled to monitor outgoing Finnish electronic communications passing through Sweden for national defence purposes. The majority of outgoing Finnish telecommunications passes through Sweden.

Intelligence activities of telecommunications passing through Sweden have been taken into consideration in the new version of FICORA's regulation concerning the telecom operators' obligation to notify their customers and FICORA of information security threats to their services. The regulation will take effect on the first of 2010. It highlights the telecom operators' obligation to notify their subscribers of information security threats to services provided abroad, but delivered to Finnish customers. The obligation to notify is based on the Finnish Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications.

FICORA has reminded telecom operators of the notification obligations since 2007. The authority has also stressed, for example, that telecom operators must ensure that their services are information-secure. If a telecom operator is unable to provide a service without a threat to information security, it must notify its subscribers and FICORA of the threats. The notifications give subscribers a possibility to assess whether the service corresponds to their own needs for information security.

Internet users can protect messages if necessary

Every Internet user should carefully consider which communications services to use, and find out the protection measures they apply. If necessary, messages can be encrypted. For more information, see the website on the protection of electronic communications, which is maintained by FICORA and other sectoral players www.ficora.fi/viestinsuojaus/english/. Also, the Safer Internet Day project brought up the subject in February 2009.

More on the subject:

Website on the protection of electronic communications

FICORA's press release of 5 February 2009: New website on the protection of messages in electronic communications

A letter to telecom operators on notifying of information security threats to a service of 26 November 2009 (in Finnish) [PDF, 302 KB]

FICORA's opinion on the information security of communications services of 30 March 2007 (in Finnish)

Opinion on the information security of communications services of 7 May 2007 (in Finnish)

Further information:

Timo Lehtimäki, Director of Networks and Security, tel. +358 9 6966 815
Erka Koivunen, Head of CERT-FI, tel. +358 9 6966 737, +358 40 309 8094