Germany: DT in the spotlight again after “personal screening” on a Croatian manager detailing her sex life

Was personal screening justified? Still according to the Handelsblatt, the Croatian manager, reserving the right to press charges, directly contacted Rene Obermann, head of Deutsche Telekom, demanding all the files about her. Deutsche Telekom is mortified and justifies this extreme spying on private life by the particular situation in Eastern Europe. Indeed, this time, research wasn’t limited to controlling sworn statements or the validity of applicants’ diplomas, a practice which is quite common for large German businesses recruiting highly-skilled workers. A former Deutsche Telekom safety representative told the Handelsblatt: “it is obvious that, in these countries, businesses must know who it’s dealing with” he said, confirming that the practice is common in the Balkans, referring to the high level of corruption in former State businesses and local administrations. Magyar Telekom, Hungarian DT subsidiary, is also targeted by the SEC – Wall Street’s security commission – since an external management control revealed ambiguous payments worth several million Euros. Deutsche Telekom explained that, in addition to exceptional cases, “personal screening” isn’t the company’s type and was officially repudiated at the end of 2004. This new DT scandal should last. Indeed, the Maya case isn’t isolated and other people spied on may press charges. In addition, some files in the report clearly come from the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – German secret services – thus revealing “cooperation” that isn’t always legal.