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NSA Secretly Continues Merkel Surveillance

posted by mattie_p on Tuesday February 25 2014, @02:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the I'm-not-directly-spying-on-you dept.

Angry Jesus writes:

"German language magazine 'Bild am Sonntag' reports that, in response to Obama's recent order to stop spying on Angela Merkel and other heads of 'friendly' states, the NSA has instead ramped up spying on everybody Merkel communicates with. Cory Doctorow points out that this action demonstrates that the NSA is out of control and deliberately disobeying a presidential order with a level of duplicity worthy of a four year-old."

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by No Respect on Tuesday February 25 2014, @04:25AM

    by No Respect (991) on Tuesday February 25 2014, @04:25AM (#6483)

    In 1929 the US State Department stopped funding cryptographic work. Secretary of State Stimson famously said, "Gentlemen do not read each other's mail". By World War II when he was Secretary of War he had done a complete 180. Ever since that time, spying on the communications of enemies and allies alike has been dogma. Both major parties are for it. The military-industrial-surveillance complex is for it. Everyone that matters - those "in the know" - is for it. From presidents to the national security apparatus to the military to the entire intelligence community it is seen as a necessary and desirable thing to do. In many ways it is necessary. And, in many ways, it has become as corrupt as the rest of the government. I'm not sure what the answer is but I do know none of the recent embarrassing revelations is going to result in any change of policy. You might as well ask the Pope to make abortion a sacrament. Not gonna happen.

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  • (Score: 1) by HiThere on Tuesday February 25 2014, @10:39PM

    by HiThere (866) on Tuesday February 25 2014, @10:39PM (#7071)

    The problem is that the old saw about money being the root of all evil is wrong. Lack of consequences is the root of all evil. (I'll grant that there's a relationship to money.)

    What are the consequences to the perpetrators if they abuse their power? If there aren't any significant ones, then they WILL abuse it. It doesn't even need to benefit them, other than the emotional pleasure they get out of exercising their power over someone who can't stop them. And *THAT* is what needs to be fixed. But I can't see how.

    --
    Put not your faith in princes.