For a while there have been rumblings about computers being sent from WIPO to Iran and North Korea with assistance from the UN. Today
the documents that confirm the portfolio of equipment sent to Iran were released showing that not only did they get lots of high powered equipment but that WIPO was concerned about cyber security so they added 20 copies of Norton Internet Security Software to the mix. After all, intellectual property issues in Iran and North Korea are a very pressing concern and you don't want all those confidential inventions to be stolen via the internet.
There are a couple of basic questions that beg to be answered. First, the documents show that the transactions have been percolating since 2009 - three years. What took so long? Didn't HP notice that their equipment was being sent to Iran and North Korea? When the equipment was installed, with its fine internet security, didn't anyone notice what network the servers were coming from?
WIPO has a lot of explaining to do. The documents make for some interesting reading.
