Article
MTN faced with human rights dilemma
Access to mobile telephony isn’t just a business issue — it has wider social implications…[T]he mobile industry is enabling access to information, healthcare, education and finance in some of the most underdeveloped parts of the world...[M]edia interest in MTN’s operations in…Iran, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan is understandable…[given] that technology can be used by governments and authorities to restrict basic rights…One of our core values is to respect the human rights — including privacy — of all people in the markets in which we operate. We oppose the abuse of such rights by any party, including governments…[O]ur intention is to always conduct our business responsibly, ethically and legally...