Are we being eavesdropped after the installation of DPI in mobile companies, AKSK reacts to Politiko: There is security, the equipment was borrowed from Israel

The use of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology by the National Cyber ​​Security Authority (AKSK) has raised numerous questions about its transparency, privacy, and effectiveness in blocking access to TikTok in Albania.

In an official response to Politiko.al, AKSK emphasizes that DPI does not have the technical ability to intervene in the content of communications or to profile the behavior of individuals.

"The DPI platform analyzes ONLY the header of the IP internet protocol packet and is technically impossible to decrypt/decode and analyze the content of the packet itself (payload). Communications with content that are transmitted on the internet in our country are 100% encrypted with keys based on asymmetric algorithms for their exchange, as well as symmetric for content encoding. Under these conditions, DPI is NOT able to access or read the content of the communication. DPI only sees that "something is being sent somewhere", but cannot identify the sender, the recipient or the content of the information ", says the AKSK response.

For the implementation of DPI, this authority explains that the mobile companies Vodafone and One are included, as well as all wholesale internet service providers, which serve as intermediaries between internet access points in our country and other internet service providers.

Are we being eavesdropped on?

Could interception of communications occur from the use of the DPI platform, following the alarm given in the media by the technology expert community in Albania?

" No, it cannot happen, since the DPI platform is deployed at the gateway of internet providers. The DPI platform deployed at internet service providers in our country analyzes ONLY the header of the IP protocol packet and has no technical possibility of

"decrypt/decode and analyze the package itself (payload), because it is encrypted with long asymmetric keys for their exchange and advanced symmetric keys for storing the  content," says AKSK's response to Politiko.al.

Also, the explanation states that " The DPI Platform is technically and scientifically impossible to profile behavior at the individual level, since internet traffic in 98.7% of cases is with Public IPv4 (Where in 95% of cases it is at the entity level (not the individual)) and 1.3% of cases is with IPv6 which uses  an extension header based on the IPSec encryption technique (ESP/AH). Exception cases can be seen and regulated through some special technical conditions, such as: Use of secure tunnels, exclusion, etc.".

The equipment was borrowed from Israel.

In its official response, AKSK clarifies that the equipment was not purchased, but was borrowed from Israel for a one-year period.

" For the implementation of the DPI technique, we have been supported by our Israeli counterparts, who have provided logistical support and technical expertise."

"Logistical support consists of providing the platform and necessary hardware/software equipment which were offered to AKSK on loan (not donation), without financial cost, for a period of 12 months. Technical implementation at the operators was carried out by AKSK experts and Israeli experts ," explains AKSK.

Regarding the legal basis, AKSK argues that the measures are based on legal decisions as follows:

 

Prepared by: Suela Gjidede-Politiko.al