Damascus Dossier: Syrian Telecoms Operator Helped Assad Regime Spy on Citizens

An investigation based on the “Damascus Dossier” reveals that under Bashar al-Assad, Syriatel systematically provided Syrian intelligence services with subscriber databases, metadata, and call content, as evidenced by a 2020 interrogation report and 2024 inter-agency memos; the documents indicate similar data sharing by another unnamed telecom. The reporting outlines how state security branches accessed phone numbers, SIM identifiers, personal details, and communications of activists and citizens, describing a coordinated surveillance apparatus that persisted until the regime’s fall in December 2024, with the new government asserting stricter, court-authorized access controls from 2025 onward.