SECURITY ISSUES IN HOTELS

In the cold war era, espionage was needed not just to survive as a nation but to have added advantage of Intel that will put you in a position to preempt your enemy's next move or a new plot.  It was and still vital that in this hostile world that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer! Quite recently,the Germans accused the Americans of listening to the private conversation of the German chancellor.

The emergence of significant improvement in telecommunications technology has advanced the course of tapping people's phone. Until recently,this has strictly been a function of security and extreme intelligence gathering narrowly limited to the military . Like every human endeavour,it is now a subject of abuse that people now listen to other people's private conversation.

The NCC(Nigeria Communications Commission) has announced that our phone lines will be tapped and our private conversation listened to. This of course is not legal but the body has advanced security as her motive. Just as we are not allowed to query or discuss security budget, we are also not expected to question the tapping of our phones.

In the light of grave security concerns in the country, Intel gathering is of course applicable and appropriate . A blanket provision for phone tapping is however illegal and debatable. For moral reasons,it is really wrong to listen to other people's conversation. With the kind of mindset our politicians are imbued with, this may be avenue for blackmail and revenge.

Unfortunately,this has crept into the hospitality industry. We have been able to allay the fears of guests staring at CCTV cameras in public places within the hotel. This is quite necessary to add to the security network already on ground, but having security cameras in the rooms is going a bit too far like the NCC.

Security camera in rooms is a breach of fundamental human rights. I have always made that very clear in hotels I have consulted for. Guests will naturally not come to insecure hotels and will detest hotels that spy on them irrespective of any security motives.

On basis of suspicion, the NCC can tap phone but with the knowledge of an independent arbiter. A clearance must be sought from a competent court of jurisdiction after the submission of sufficient evidence for such ground.

Perpetual vigilance is the price we all have to pay for our security but nobody should pull wool over our eyes in the name of security.

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