Lebanon is sensitive to the etiquette of eavesdropping. During years of Syrian hegemony, telephone monitoring was an integral part of the repressive regime, and wire-tapping is still widespread and wrapped up in dangerous games. Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was monitored for five years before his murder, and last year Intelligence Officer Wissam Eid, who was giving tapped phone conversations of key suspects to Special Tribunal investigators, was assassinated.

So, after MP Walid Jumblatt complained last week that Telecommunications Minister Gebran Bassil had set up a new telephone monitoring department without telling anyone, eyebrows were raised. Allegations that Bassil had tapped the calls of those working on the Special Tribunal sparked spirited protests from Defense Minister Elias Murr and General Michel Aoun, and Tuesday, it was decided that that all requests to tap a phone line must be authorized in advance. But what do the Lebanese think of the government helping themselves to their conversations? NOW went to the streets to find out.
 
May, 26, South Lebanon
I do not think it is right. The government should not listen to phones. Before this new government, they were listening always to the phones, and now the government has changed, but they are still listening. It is a problem. They should not listen – of course they should not.
 
Hassan, 25, Beirut
It depends on which people are listening to which conversations. You know what we had last year, conflict with Hezbollah about their own telephone system. Well, I am with Hezbollah, but I do not accept any listening to phone conversations - not even if it is Hezbollah who are doing it.
 
Garo, 29, Dbayeh
They do not have the right to do it unless it is for murderers and to stop crimes. But as for listening to us, they totally have no right.
 
Ahmad, 32, Baalbek
There are a lot of intruders inside the Communications Ministry, and these intruders are systematic in listening to conversations. Not for personal reasons; they are using them to interrupt the work on the tribunal about Hariri. Especially General Aoun, who is now with Hezbollah, who at the end of the day are related to Syria and Iran, so he needs to interrupt this tribunal to get more support from Hezbollah. In Aoun's area there are a lot of Hezbollah supporters, and he needs their votes.
 
Lena, 31, Beirut
I think even if the court could use recorded conversations as evidence, you cannot rely on them. It is easy to fake them, so there is no need for them to listen to everyone's calls.
 
Sarah, 21, Tripoli
It is wrong. They are breaking the privacy of the people. It might help in the Hariri tribunal but also, on the other side, people have rights. If someone is guilty, or they think he is guilty, they must listen to the conversations, but if someone is completely innocent, they should not listen to their calls.
 
Lena, 45, Mount Lebanon
I like Minister Gebran Bassil; he is very correct. And Minister Murr; he is very correct also. He said that sometimes there is terror here in Lebanon, so they must listen to calls. They are obliged to do this, and they are doing it for our sake. I think they are not listening to our calls, only to ones necessary to fight terror. I respect Murr and Bassil, and President Aoun also.
 
Sereen, 19, Verdun
I am sure something is happening. They are listening to calls. I am Armenian, and so when I want to say something - especially something about politics - I speak in Armenian not in Arabic. I am not comfortable talking about politics on the phone in Arabic.