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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Conflict & Security

Alleged espionage network in Ecuador led by Rafael Correa operated via municipal company

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Ecuador's Interior Minister John Reimberg announced the dismantling of an alleged espionage network operating through Segura EP, a municipal company.
  • The network reportedly used surveillance cameras for political control, with an administrator allegedly granted advanced credentials to manipulate systems.
  • Investigations suggest the network aimed to erase audit trails by limiting record storage, compromising citizen information security.

Ecuador's Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg, has initiated an investigation into an alleged espionage network operating within Segura EP, a municipal company. Accompanied by the Commander General of the Police, Pablo Dávila, Reimberg officially presented the case to the Security Commission, detailing what he described as a parallel espionage structure functioning under the guise of municipal administration.

We have dismantled a parallel espionage structure that operated under the facade of municipal administration.

— John ReimbergDescribing the alleged espionage network.

According to the complaint filed with the Attorney General's Office, the network is allegedly led by former President Rafael Correa. Reimberg stated that the operation was designed for political control, with advanced administrator credentials reportedly given to an official named Franklin Contreras. This access allegedly allowed Contreras to intervene in critical institutional platforms, including systems that controlled the movement of surveillance cameras.

This access included the Gev, Sifon Review, and CBX systems, which gave him the ability to move the cameras.

— John ReimbergDetailing the extent of the administrator's access.

Further investigations revealed a breach in the chain of custody, enabling the download of historical recordings without police supervision. Reimberg also noted that the system's storage of audit logs was limited to 60 days. He explained that this technical limitation was designed to automatically erase traces of camera manipulation and video extraction from a "mirror room," thereby preventing subsequent audits of how citizen information was used.

This technical limitation ensured that the trail of camera manipulation and video extraction from the mirror room was automatically erased, making subsequent audits impossible.

— John ReimbergExplaining how the network allegedly covered its tracks.

The minister emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the network had the capability to intervene and reposition cameras towards critical areas. He asserted that these were not mere administrative irregularities but vulnerabilities that severely compromised the security of information and the safety of Guayaquil's residents. Following the public disclosure of these alleged irregularities, the official involved, Franklin Contreras, submitted his irrevocable resignation.

We are not talking about simple administrative irregularities; we are talking about something extremely serious: vulnerabilities that compromised information security and the security of Guayaquil's citizens.

— John ReimbergHighlighting the severity of the alleged security breaches.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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