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Germany Wants Private Internet Because of NSA Spying

The latest Snowden leaks courtesy of The Guardian reveal that the NSA monitored the phone converations of 35 world leaders after a government official handed over his address book to the agency. The leaked Snowden memo highlights how the NSA routinely urges staff members of the White House, State and the Pentagon to share their "Rolodexes" so that the agency knows more precisely which foreign leaders to spy on.

The latest news comes on the heels of reveals that the NSA has done everything from spy on Brazilian oil companies to hacking into Mexican Presidents' e-mail accounts, rekindling long-standing international concerns that the United States has too much authority over the Internet. Germany, for example, is pushing for its own national Internet, despite the fact that will never likely work:
quote:
As a diplomatic row rages between the United States and Europe over spying accusations, state-backed Deutsche Telekom wants German communications companies to cooperate to shield local internet traffic from foreign intelligence services...As the row festers, telecom and Internet experts said the rhetoric exceeded the practical changes that could be expected from Deutsche Telekom's project. More than 90 percent of Germany's internet traffic already stays within its borders, said Klaus Landefeld, a board member of the non-profit organization that runs the DE-CIX Internet exchange point in Frankfurt.
Similar concepts were pushed forth by Brazil recently as well, even though it seems obvious that the NSA's reach could easily extend into private, national networks. U.S. and ICANN dominance of Internet governance is a sore subject for many countries, and while this fracturing of the Internet may never come to pass due to impracticality, the NSA's snooping may renew long-standing pushes for the UN to have a greater role in Internet governance.

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skeechan
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skeechan

Premium Member

Laughable

It is a bit of a joke for foreign countries to cry foul over NSA spying. Every one of these countries runs spy operations in the United States.

Everyone spies on everyone and everyone knows that everyone spies on everyone.