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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAngela Merkel’s NSA Nightmare Just Got A Lot Worse
Angela Merkel, Germanys most successful and popular politician, could be in serious trouble, after revelations that Germanys national intelligence agency, the BND, has been spying on key European assets on behalf of US intelligence. Those assets include top French officials, the EUs headquarters, the European defense corporation EADS, the helicopter manufacturer Eurocopter and even German companies.
To wit, from Der Spiegel:
In 2008, at the latest, it became apparent that NSA selectors were not only limited to terrorist and weapons smugglers
But it was only after the revelations made by whistleblower Edward Snowden that the BND decided to investigate the issue. In October 2013, an investigation came to the conclusion that at least 2,000 of these selectors were aimed at Western European or even German interests.
Today, the German foreign intelligence agency is accused of processing over 40,000 spy requests from the NSA, many of which represent a clear violation of the Memorandum of Agreement that the US and Germany signed in 2002. Washington and Berlin agreed at the time that neither Germans nor Americans neither people nor companies or organizations would be among the surveillance targets.
From Victim to Villain
The scandal could be particularly damaging for the Minister of Interior Thomas de Maiziere, whose ministry is accused of misleading parliament after claiming, as recently as April 14, to have no knowledge of alleged US economic spying in Europe, and of Germanys alleged involvement.
For Merkel, it is a dizzying reversal of roles and fortunes. In 2013 she was arguably the most high-profile victim of NSA surveillance when it was revealed that the NSA had targeted her cellphone. When confronted with Edward Snowdens allegations of US National Security Agency mass surveillance of European citizens, Merkel famously said that spying on friends is just not on. According to official accounts, she even placed a strongly worded phone call to US President Barack Obama.
Read more: http://wolfstreet.com/2015/05/01/don-quijones-angela-merkel-nsa-bnd-nightmare-spy-scandal-got-a-lot-worse/
merrily
(45,251 posts)woo me with science
(32,139 posts)Why do plutocrats put a sweeping, Constitution-assaulting, spying infrastructure into place? To create total information awareness, power and control; to spy on competitors and politicians; to facilitate their corporate predatory agenda; to prevent investigation of their abuses by a free press; and to crush dissent by protesters and the citizens they are systematically exploiting, stripping of their rights, and impoverishing.
What is the NSA really for?
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A Nation of "Suspects"
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That magic word, "terrorism." The government's identification of those needing further scrutiny
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Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist
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"Arrogant complaining about airport security is one indicator Transportation Security Administration officers consider when looking for possible criminals and terrorists"
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Top US counterterrorism official: drone critics are Al Qaeda enablers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002279862
Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)They were probably laughing about the revelation.
"Angela, they fell for it! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Suckers!"