18 July 2013
The German daily Bild reported on Monday, citing US government sources, that the German intelligence agency (BND) has long been informed of the collection of German nationals’ data by the NSA and has itself utilized data gathered with the PRISM program.
According to Bild, the BND requested assistance from the NSA when German nationals were abducted in Yemen and Afghanistan. According to a German government spokesman, the long-standing cooperation between the two intelligence agencies is a known fact and the government would not take a public stance on the details. The report contradicts earlier pronouncements by the German government that has thus far denied knowledge of the PRISM program.
Source: Bild.de | Die NSA speichert fast ALLE unsere Daten
Source: El País | Alemania conocía y utilizó los sistemas de espionaje masivo de EEUU, según ‘Bild’
12 June 2013
Documents leaked to the press on Friday 7 June on the US-run covert intelligence-gathering operation, entitled PRISM, reveal that the UK security agency GCHQ has gathered secret digital information through the program at least since June of 2010. According to the US National Security Agency (NSA), the service has also been made available to spy organizations from other countries, but did it not specify which ones. According to Reuters, Germany has not received any PRISM data.
The revelation on the NSA operation has triggered criticism in European capitals, including Dutch, German and Italian officials that denounced the practice of gathering secret data from the world’s largest internet companies as unacceptable and illegal under EU laws. Following denials from Facebook and Google that the companies are giving direct government access to their servers, reports suggested on Friday that Israeli companies may have been involved in wiretapping US telecommunications networks, which would allow the NSA to access data through major internet service providers.
Source: The Guardian | NSA snooping: Obama under pressure as senator denounces 'act of treason'
Source: The Guardian | UK gathering secret intelligence via covert NSA operation
Source: Reuters | UPDATE 1-U.S. surveillance revelations deepen European fears of Web giants
Source: The Daily Dot | Does the NSA's PRISM spying program violate EU law?
Source: GIGAOM | Europeans call for answers over U.S. web spying allegations
Source: Business Insider | DID YOU KNOW?: Two Secretive Israeli Companies Reportedly Bugged The US Telecommunications Grid For The NSA