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Date: Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:28:30 -0400
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From: "James M. Atkinson" <jm..._at_tscm.com>
Subject: Fired Worker Claims Wal-Mart Spy Operation
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http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/fired-worker-claims-wal-mart-spy/20070404062209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
Updated:2007-04-04 23:59:08
Fired Worker Claims Wal-Mart Spy Operation
By MARCUS KABEL
Reuters
BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (April 5) - A fired Wal-Mart technician
alleged the world's largest retailer has been spying on its workers,
critics, vendors and consultants. The company defended its security practices.
Wal-Mart declined to comment on specific allegations made by 19-year
veteran Bruce Gabbard to the Wall Street Journal in a report
published Wednesday. Wal-Mart reiterated that it had fired Gabbard,
44, and his supervisor last month for violating company policy by
recording phone calls and intercepting pager messages.
"Like most major corporations, it is our corporate responsibility to
have systems in place, including software systems, to monitor threats
to our network, intellectual property and our people," Wal-Mart
spokeswoman Sarah Clark said.
Gabbard was fired after recording phone calls to and from a New York
Times reporter and intercepting pager messages.
Wal-Mart made the case public last month and denied Gabbard's claims
that his actions were the result of pressure from Kenneth Senser, a
former senior CIA and FBI official who has headed Wal-Mart's office
of global security since 2003. Another FBI veteran, Joseph Lewis, is
head of corporate investigations under Senser.
Gabbard did not work for Senser's department, although the company
and others familiar with the case said Senser has the authority to
work with staff from other divisions in carrying out investigations.
Gabbard has said he felt pressured by Senser to find information
leaks, while Wal-Mart has denied that those conversations alleged by
Gabbard took place.
Gabbard and his former supervisor, Jason Hamilton, who was also
fired, have declined repeated requests from The Associated Press to
talk about their security activities.
But in a text message to The Associated Press Wednesday, Gabbard
confirmed the allegations that he was part of a broader surveillance
operation approved by the company. The team, the Threat Research and
Analysis Group, was a unit of Wal-Mart's Information Systems Division.
"I can confirm everything in the WSJ story is correct except the
glass wall comment which I didn't make," Gabbard wrote, referring to
a description of the Threat Group's glass-enclosed work area at
Wal-Mart's Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters.
Wal-Mart's Clark noted that the company had self-reported the issue
to federal prosecutors to determine if any laws had been broken.
Wal-Mart's union-backed critics, whom Gabbard identified as among the
surveillance targets, accused the retailer of being "paranoid,
childish and desperate."
"They should stop playing with spy toys and take the criticism of
their business model seriously. The success of the company depends on
it," said Nu Wexler, spokesman for Wal-Mart Watch. According to the
Wall Street Journal report, the company found personal photos of
Wexler and tracked his plans to attend Wal-Mart's annual meeting.
Gabbard told the newspaper that Wal-Mart sent an employee to
infiltrate an anti-Wal-Mart group to learn if it was going to protest
at the annual shareholders' meeting and investigated McKinsey & Co.
employees it believed leaked a memo about Wal-Mart's health care plans.
The company also used software programs to read e-mails sent by
workers using private e-mail accounts whenever they were hooked up to
the Wal-Mart computer network, he said.
Gabbard told the Journal he recorded the calls to the New York Times
reporter on his own, but added many of his activities were approved
by Wal-Mart. The Journal said other employees and security firms
confirmed parts of his account.
Clark said she could not comment on Gabbard's claim of blanket
approval because "that's a pretty broad statement. We wouldn't be
able to comment on that without knowing the details he's referring to."
Clark said the Threat Research group is no longer operating in the
same manner that it did prior to the discovery of the unauthorized
recording of telephone conversations.
AP Business Writer Anne D'Innocenzio in New York contributed to this report.
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