Lebanese telecom company may start deploying deep packet inspection

According to reports, Lebanese mobile operator Touch is considering deploying deep packet inspection (DPI) from Nexius, a US-based communications and software company. The same technology was purchased a year ago by Alfa, another local mobile operator in Lebanon, for US$3 million but is not delivered or deployed yet. In their research, the Social Media Exchange (SMEX) found a closed call for applicants for a Beirut-based Nexius job vacancy for a DPI Expert. According to SMEX, ‘the telecom companies’ decision to integrate DPI has major implications on users’ privacy and could lead to an increase in targeted surveillance, both by state agencies and third parties’.