* WSJEurope + WSJEurope + Facebook + Twitter * WSJ Live + WSJ Live * Market Watch + Market Watch * Barron's + Barron's * All Things Digital + All Things Digital * Factiva + Factiva * Risk + Risk * More + WSJ X - Invitation Only + New Portfolio + BigCharts + Financial News + Professor Journal + SmartMoney + Student Journal + Virtual Stock Exchange + WSJ Classifieds + WSJ Classroom + WSJ Radio + WSJ Wine News, Quotes, Companies, Vid (BUTTON) SEARCH ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________

_____________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________ The Wall Street Journal * Subscribe * Log In Europe Edition * U.S. * Asia * Europe * América Latina * Brasil * 中文-简体(China) * Deutschland * India * Indonesia * 日本(Japan) * 한국(Korea) * Home * World » More World » More Loading… * Europe » More Europe » More Loading… * U.K. » More U.K. » More Loading… * U.S. » More U.S. » More Loading… * Business » More Business » More Loading… * Markets » More Markets » More Loading… * Market Data » More Market Data » More Loading… * Tech » More Tech » More Loading… * Life & Culture » More Life & Culture » More Loading… * Opinion » More Opinion » More Loading… * Heard on the Street * Property » More Property » More Loading… * Dow Jones Reprints: This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit www.djreprints.com See a sample reprint in PDF format. Order a reprint of this article now * The Wall Street Journal * EUROPE TECHNOLOGY * Updated March 9, 2012, 8:41 a.m. ET Spy-Gear Business to Be Sold Amesys to Sell Business That Provided Surveillance Technology Used by Gadhafi * Article * Video * Slideshow * Comments more in Tech | Find New $LINKTEXTFIND$ » * smaller * Larger By PAUL SONNE and MARGARET COKER [030912newshubgmtseg3_512x288.jpg] French technology company Amesys is offloading its business that sells Internet-interception equipment, a move that comes six months after it became public that Moammar Gadhafi's regime had been using the technology to spy on Libyans. French technology company Amesys is offloading its business that sells Internet-interception equipment, a move that comes six months after it became public that Moammar Gadhafi's regime had been using the technology to spy on Libyans. Bull SA, Amesys's parent company, said Thursday it had "signed an exclusivity agreement with a view to negotiating the sale of the activities" related to its Eagle interception product. Bull declined to identify the buyer. The Eagle system, which Amesys developed for Libya after signing a 2007 contract with the regime there, allowed Gadhafi's security services to intercept emails, online chats and Facebook messages of targets. The sophisticated electronic spying by the Gadhafi government continued as Libya's revolution kicked off in February of last year. [AMESYS] * Firms Aided Libyan Spies Aug. 30, 2011 * Life Under the Gaze of Gadhafi's Spies Dec. 14, 2011 First Look Inside Security Unit A surveillance center in Tripoli provided clear evidence of foreign companies' cooperation in the repression of Libyans under Col. Moammar Gadhafi's rule. View Slideshow [SB10001424053111904199404576540223536451778] Edu Bayer for The Wall Street Journal * More photos and interactive graphics The existence of a surveillance center in Tripoli outfitted with Amesys's Eagle equipment was first reported by The Wall Street Journal last August. According to surveillance files reviewed by the paper, the regime wielded the Eagle snooping technology against Libyan dissidents, journalists, human-rights campaigners and everyday enemies of the state. On Thursday, Bull said the business falls outside its core remit. "This activity is nonstrategic for the Bull Group, which wishes to focus...its expertise on mission-critical electronic systems and, in particular, on areas involving the protection of personnel and national security," the company said in a statement, referring to the Eagle product. The Eagle business represents less than 0.5% of Bull's overall revenue, the statement said. Bull reported revenue of €1.3 billion ($1.71 billion) in 2011, suggesting sales from the Eagle business would have been less than €65 million in that year. A significant chunk of Amesys's revenue streams for the Eagle system is thought to have come from Arab and African governments. An Amesys spokeswoman couldn't be reached for comment on Thursday evening, but last year declined to comment on specific Eagle contracts outside of Libya. [AMESYS] PhotoXpress/Zuma Press Moammar Gadhafi It is unclear how much the Arab Spring revolutions have affected sales of the system, or the profitability of existing contracts. Bull said Thursday that the buyer would take over existing contracts. The Amesys system in Libya was switched off last year after Moammar Gadhafi and his allies began losing grip on the country. It remained offline as of the start of 2012. The payment structure of Amesys's contract with the former regime is unclear. It's also unclear if the company is still owed money. In the past, both Bull and Amesys have defended the decision to sell the interception system to Gadhafi. "The contract was concluded at a time when the international community was in the process of diplomatic rapprochement with Libya, which was looking to fight against terrorism and acts perpetrated by al Qaeda," Amesys said in September. It's unknown if the likely new owner of Eagle will sell the interception technology to repressive governments or service potentially controversial existing contracts that may exist outside of Libya. Amesys's dealings in Libya became the subject of attention after The Wall Street Journal discovered the abandoned spy center in Tripoli where agents working for Gadhafi sat in an open-plan office and operated the Eagle system to sift through the online communications of Libyan targets. The technology intercepted the flow of traffic from Libya's main Internet service provider and harvested information from the stream using a method known as deep-packet inspection. The spy center was lined with posters and English-language training manuals stamped with the name Amesys. One poster hanging in the center, which described the Eagle system, said: "Whereas many Internet interception systems carry out basic filtering on IP address and extract only those communications from the global flow (Lawful Interception), EAGLE Interception system analyses and stores all the communications from the monitored link (Massive interception)." Lawmakers from the opposition Socialist Party in France have called for a parliamentary inquiry into any role the French government might have played in facilitating Amesys's sale of equipment to Libya. The request is still making its way through the government there. Human-rights groups have filed court complaints asking French prosecutors to investigate Amesys for what the groups call possible violations of export rules and complicity in torture. Those complaints are pending. Amesys says it has done nothing wrong. The company's activities, it says, "strictly adhere to the statutory and regulatory requirements of both European and French international conventions." —David Gauthier-Villars contributed to this article. Write to Paul Sonne at paul.sonne@wsj.com and Margaret Coker at margaret.coker@wsj.com Copyright 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com Join the discussion More In Tech » * image Subscriber Content Read Preview Nicaragua will sich in ein Paradies verwandeln * Kampf in Syrien spült Islamisten an die Macht * Die Welt zollt Papst Benedikt nach seinem Rücktritt Respekt close Email This Recipient's Email Address (Separate multiple address with commas) ____________________ Your Email Address ____________________ Message (Optional) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ [X] Send me a copy Send or Cancel close Thank You Your email has been sent. close Error. An error has occured and your email has not been sent. Please try again. • Invalid email address. • You can't enter more than 20 emails. • Seperate multiple addresses with Commas. • Must enter an email address. • You must enter the verification code below to send. • Invalid entry: Please type the verification code again. * Back To * Voltar ao * Back To * * MSN Money Homepage * MSN Money Investing Available to WSJ.com Subscribers * [RV-AI989_ANTIDO_C_20121207004152.jpg] Subscriber Content Read Preview The Power of Negative Thinking * [WO-AM666_GRILLO_C_20130210201145.jpg] Subscriber Content Read Preview Italian Comedian Ascends Political Stage * [P1-BK235_USAFRI_C_20130208173345.jpg] Subscriber Content Read Preview Terror Leader Emerges, Then Vanishes, in Sahara * [WO-AM660_RUSSAR_C_20130210165325.jpg] Subscriber Content Read Preview Russia Reins In Opposition Figure Most Popular in Europe * Apple Testing Watch-Like Device * Fitness Instructors Are the New DJs * Run Your Family Like a Business * Pope Benedict to Resign * U.K. to Probe H-P's Autonomy From the HomePage * Pope Benedict to Resign Pope Benedict XVI said that he plans to step down at the end of this month because of his deteriorating physical strength. * [image] Live: Latest Updates and Global Reaction Follow updates and reaction from around the world to Pope Benedict's decision. * [image] In Pictures: Eight Years of Benedict View a selection of photographs from Pope Benedict's eight-year tenure. * [image] Timeline: Guardian Of Catholic Faith Joseph Ratzinger was the enforcer of doctrine under his predecessor. More in Tech * Apple Testing Watch-Like Device * U.K. to Probe H-P's Autonomy * Myanmar Denies Hacking After Gmail Warnings * New Hope for Netflix Profit Stream * Tesla Approaches Crossroad Most Popular In Europe * Read * Emailed * Video * Commented * Subscriber Content Read Preview 1. Apple Testing Watch-Like Device * 2. Fitness Instructors Are the New DJs * 3. Run Your Family Like a Business * 4. Pope Benedict to Resign * 5. U.K. to Probe H-P's Autonomy * 1. Run Your Family Like a Business * 2. Everybody Loves Labradors, So Why Are They Underdogs? * 3. Opinion: Kristol and Wehner: The Absentee Commander in Chief * 4. You Say Goodbye, I Say I Don't Know * 5. Opinion: Ben Carson for President * 1. Apple Is Testing an iPhone for Your Wrist * 2. What an Apple Watch Would Do * 3. Labrador Retreivers: The Underdogs of Westminster * 4. Five Stocks Warren Buffett and Insiders Are Buying * 5. The 130,000 Ton Asteroid Heading Toward Earth * 1. Opinion: So God Made a Fawner1262 comments * 2. Opinion: Ben Carson for President795 comments * 3. Opinion: Gun Control and the Constitution560 comments * 4. Opinion: The Absentee Commander in Chief497 comments * 5. Speech Lays Out Next Goals463 comments * Articles Feed * Most Emailed Feed * Most Popular Video Feed * Most Commented Feed * Most Popular Feeds Editors' Picks * [image] Terror Leader Emerges, Then Vanishes, in Sahara * [image] Everybody Loves Labradors, So Why Are They Underdogs? * [image] With Fewer to Lock Up, Prisons Shut Doors * [image] Paterno Family Fires Back at Freeh Report Now Playing Article Excerpt Spy-Gear Business to Be Sold BY PAUL SONNE AND MARGARET COKER French technology company Amesys is offloading its business that sells Internet-interception equipment, a move that comes six months after it became public that Moammar Gadhafi's regime had been using the technology to spy on Libyans. Bull SA, Amesys's parent company, said Thursday it had "signed an exclusivity agreement with a view to negotiating the sale of the activities" related to its Eagle interception product. Bull declined to identify the buyer. The Eagle system, which Amesys developed for Libya after signing a 2007 contract with the regime there, allowed Gadhafi's security services to intercept emails, online chats and Facebook messages of ... Continue reading article with pop up player Video * previous * * next * What Might an Apple iWatch Do? 3:22 * AllThingsD Kicks Off D: Dive Into Media 1:53 * Amazon to Air CBS Mini-Series While Still on TV 3:19 Most Recommended * CommentsComments * CommentersCommenters * 1. “There is simply no comparing the...;” - Ryan Schroeter 199 Recommendations * 2. “Steve Kroft's jellyfish intervie...;” - Mike Fisch 173 Recommendations * 3. “"Some of the emails in the...;” - Matilda Anders 111 Recommendations * 4. “This man is the most incompetent...;” - LAWRENCE MACINTYRE 110 Recommendations * 5. “Corruption as far as the eye can...;” - Mary Childs 108 Recommendations * Mary Childs 1964 Recommendations * Matilda Anders 1898 Recommendations * Greg Liautaud 1833 Recommendations * Maria Bonanno 1400 Recommendations * XAVIER L SIMON 1299 Recommendations Most Active Discussions * Journal Community * Question of the Day Where should the next pope be chosen from? * Religion & Ethics Do we need religion to have ethics? Is it possible that a world without religion can be, on the whole, a better place to live? * Libertarians Why do people single out the Postal Service for losing money? Don't all government agencies cost taxpayers billions each year? Does the concept of P & L apply to government? * Libertarians Arab Spring * Libertarians Immigration * See all Discussion Groups More in Tech * Apple Testing Watch-Like Device * U.K. to Probe H-P's Autonomy * Myanmar Denies Hacking After Gmail Warnings * New Hope for Netflix Profit Stream * Tesla Approaches Crossroad