No Comment for the Spy: The Daily NSA Scandal

March 28, 2014

Published in Berliner Zeitung
(Germany) on 20 March 2014
by Holger Schmale (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Daniel Eck. Edited by Robert O'Connor.

NSA affair? That was last year, right? The big commotion over the systematic spying on German citizens and politicians by American and British intelligence has oddly quietened, without anything being clarified or ended. President Obama has held his personal promise not to tap Angela Merkel’s phone. However, it is not only about the chancellor’s phone.

This is about the protection of all citizens’ fundamental rights. What has the German government achieved regarding this issue? Nothing. The U.S.A. actively continues its spying activities, and information about new variations is constantly resurfacing. For instance, the dubious System Mystic allegedly allows the NSA to tap into and save telephone conversations being held in a whole country.

And the German government does nothing. The promised no-spy agreement with the U.S. will never exist. One wants to discuss a common idea of a private sphere. How impressive. It is therefore about time that the German parliament takes the protection of civil rights seriously and pressures the government to take action. As demonstrated in the National Socialist Underground case, the instrument from the investigation committee has proven to be extremely efficient.

First and foremost the parliamentarians will ensure that the NSA scandal will not be forgotten. The scandal is not last year’s news. It takes place on a daily basis.

Es ist höchste Zeit, dass sich der Bundestag des Schutzes der Bürgerrechte annimmt und der Regierung endlich Beine macht. Das Instrument des Untersuchungsausschusses kann, wie der Fall NSU gezeigt hat, hoch wirksam sein.

NSA-Affäre? Das war doch letztes Jahr, oder? Die große Aufregung über das systematische Ausspionieren deutscher Bürger und Politiker durch amerikanische und britische Geheimdienste hat sich auf merkwürdige Weise gelegt, ohne dass irgendetwas wirklich aufgeklärt oder gar gestoppt wäre. Allein Angela Merkel hat das persönliche Versprechen des US-Präsidenten erhalten, ihr Telefon werde nicht mehr abgehört. Aber es geht eben gerade nicht nur um das Handy der Kanzlerin.

Es geht um den Schutz der Grundrechte aller Bürger. Was hat die Bundesregierung in dieser Frage erreicht? Nichts. Die USA spionieren munter weiter, und ständig kommen Hinweise auf neue Varianten wie jetzt auf das dubiose System Mystic, mit dem die NSA offenbar den Telefonverkehr eines ganzen Landes abhören und speichern kann.

Und die Bundesregierung tut nichts. Das versprochene No-Spy-Abkommen mit den USA wird es nicht geben. Man will sich aber Gedanken über gemeinsame Vorstellungen von Privatsphäre machen. Wie beeindruckend. Es ist also höchste Zeit, dass sich der Bundestag des Schutzes der Bürgerrechte annimmt und der Regierung endlich Beine macht. Das Instrument des Untersuchungsausschusses kann, wie der Fall NSU gezeigt hat, hoch wirksam sein.

Vor allem werden die Abgeordneten dafür sorgen, dass der NSA-Skandal nicht in Vergessenheit gerät. Er ist keine Sache des vergangenen Jahres. Er findet täglich statt.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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