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posted by LaminatorX on Thursday May 14 2015, @05:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the open-secrets dept.

WikiLeaks has published transcripts of 10 months of German Parliamentary hearings into the National Security Agency and Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND). The 1,380 pages cover 34 witnesses from May 2014 to February 2015. "WikiLeaks has also written summaries of each session in German and English as the inquiry, due to its subject matter, is of international significance." For example, there is a synopsis of William Binney and Thomas Drake's appearance before the Bundestag inquiry in July. The inquiry calendar lists hearings with documents and synopses indicated by paper clips and hourglasses respectively. Some hearings are labelled "Synopsis to follow". Although the transcripts are of public hearings, WikiLeaks claims that "despite many sessions being technically public, in practice public understanding has been compromised as transcripts have been withheld, recording devices banned and reporters intrusively watched by police."

The Register reports:

The inquiry was set up in March 2014, tasked with investigating surveillance activities by the United States on German soil and to what degree German agencies have been complicit in this spying. During the inquiry it emerged that the German Chancery sent a letter to the chief exec of Deutsche Telekom calling for help with the continuous mass surveillance of German and international internet and telecommunications data at Deutsche Telekom's Frankfurt exchange point. This operation, codenamed "Eikonal", saw these intercepts then pass from the BND to the NSA.

More recently, it emerged that the NSA was passing on selectors – IP addresses, emails, and mobile phone numbers – for spying. Targets included members of the French government and European industry, including the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and Eurocopter. Airbus, another target of alleged spying, has launched a lawsuit.

The NSA also reportedly wanted the BND to spy on Siemens over its alleged business with Russian intelligence. The BND-NSA co-operation on surveillance was ostensibly about fighting international terrorism but much of what happened in practice seemed to be about harvesting geo-political intelligence, if not downright economic espionage.

Some weeks into the inquiry, a German intelligence agency staffer was arrested after allegedly being caught spying on behalf on the US.

Highlights of the leaked files include how the BND tap fibre optic cables from the German intelligence officer who does the tapping. WikiLeaks is saying it released the files in order to inform the debate.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by zugedneb on Thursday May 14 2015, @09:37PM

    by zugedneb (4556) on Thursday May 14 2015, @09:37PM (#183131)

    "You're suffering from some pretty severe misunderstandings of human evolution, and more importantly post-enlightenment human history."
    That was not enlightening.
    When you talk to someone, ask not if the person is disturbed, but ask if the person is actually an idiot.

    We are not in an era where anyone understands evolution and/or the human mind.
    Explain your points, and if you cant, don't trashtalk those who at least give it a try, but may not live up to "academic standards"... :D

    --
    old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 14 2015, @09:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 14 2015, @09:57PM (#183139)

    > When you talk to someone, ask not if the person is disturbed, but ask if the person is actually an idiot.

    OK.
    Are you actually an idiot?

    • (Score: 0, Troll) by zugedneb on Thursday May 14 2015, @10:27PM

      by zugedneb (4556) on Thursday May 14 2015, @10:27PM (#183152)

      No, I am not...
      And, when it comes to topics that are not about science, it is me and a couple of other trolls that give some color to this grey =)
      Otherwise, it is just a bunch of sensible and mature bozos complaining about alphabet agencies and privacy.
      Go, faggot, mod up your kin =)

      --
      old saying: "a troll is a window into the soul of humanity" + also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax