Big Brother Is Also Reading

June 9, 2013

Published in Rheinische Post
(Germany) on 8 June 2013
by Matthias Beermann (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Holly Bickerton. Edited by Kyrstie Lane.

The suspicion that U.S. intelligence agencies systematically spy on the Internet, where users share information about their private lives, is not new. In 2007, in the name of the war on terror, Congress gave the green light for spying on email traffic and social networks. But the intensity and extent to which Internet companies were compliant in divulging their customers' data is only now becoming clear. The companies did not have a choice, but they can be reproached for the hypocrisy with which they are trying to cover up their cooperation.

As things stand, it is mainly non-Americans who were affected by the snooping, most likely including Germans. Only here in Germany is there an open debate about how far data privacy protection should go and to what extent it can be overruled in the interests of security. This gives rise to the question of proportionality. Terrorists know very well that intelligence agencies infiltrated the Internet long ago. It is primarily innocent citizens who end up in the sights of the spies.

Großer Bruder liest mit
Der Verdacht, dass US-Geheimdienste systematisch das Internet ausspähen – und zwar auch da, wo die Nutzer ihr Privatleben ausbreiten –, ist nicht neu. 2007 hatte der Kongress im Namen des Anti-Terror-Kampfes grünes Licht für die Bespitzelung von E-Mail-Verkehr und sozialen Netzwerken gegeben. Doch wie intensiv diese war und wie willfährig die Internet-Unternehmen offenbar die Daten ihrer Kunden preisgaben, wird erst jetzt deutlich. Eine Wahl hatten die Firmen nicht, man kann ihnen aber die Heuchelei vorwerfen, mit der sie ihre Kooperation zu verschleiern suchen.
Nach Lage der Dinge waren vor allem Nicht-Amerikaner von den Schnüffelaktionen betroffen, darunter wohl auch Deutsche. Nur gibt es hierzulande eine offene Debatte darüber, wie weit Datenschutz gehen muss und wie weit er im Interesse der Gefahrenabwehr außer Kraft gesetzt werden darf. Wobei sich die Frage der Verhältnismäßigkeit stellt: Terroristen wissen sehr genau, dass die Geheimdienste das Internet längst infiltriert haben. Und so geraten vor allem unbescholtene Bürger ins Visier der Spione.

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

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