Out of Control
Published in Frankfurter Rundschau
(Germany) on 26 August 2013
by Karin Dalka (link to original)
(Germany) on 26 August 2013
by Karin Dalka (link to original)
Translated from
by Ron Argentati.
Edited by Laurence Bouvard.
The protestations offered up by the United States in the National Security Agency (NSA) data scandal are believed only by the German government and no one else. Not just hastily, but woefully prematurely, Germany has declared the debate over the NSA actions over and done with. It's not.
Actually, no further proof was necessary to prove that the NSA had gone completely out of control. Thanks to Edward Snowden, the public meanwhile has come to realize that when the American intelligence apparatus eavesdrops, snoops and casts its data dragnets out, it can be stopped neither by laws nor by international treaties. That applies as well to the latest revelations.
According to those, the NSA monitors the video setups inside the United Nations and maintains monitoring programs in more than 80 embassies and consulates. Such news doesn't even cause shock waves any longer. Most people just shrug their shoulders and prepare themselves for the next wave of revelations. The protests and excuses coming from the United States are no longer believed by anyone — except the German government.
It seems satisfied with the verbal tranquilizers pedaled by America and blithely passes them along to the public. Germany has not only swiftly declared the NSA debate closed, it has done so woefully prematurely. It's decidedly not over yet. We suspect instead that the scandal has not yet even reached its high point. The more details that become common knowledge, the more clearly do we realize the enormity of the uncontrolled monitoring. It is cause for us to be disturbed and upset.
Anyone who still reacts with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders has already lost the battle against total surveillance.
Actually, no further proof was necessary to prove that the NSA had gone completely out of control. Thanks to Edward Snowden, the public meanwhile has come to realize that when the American intelligence apparatus eavesdrops, snoops and casts its data dragnets out, it can be stopped neither by laws nor by international treaties. That applies as well to the latest revelations.
According to those, the NSA monitors the video setups inside the United Nations and maintains monitoring programs in more than 80 embassies and consulates. Such news doesn't even cause shock waves any longer. Most people just shrug their shoulders and prepare themselves for the next wave of revelations. The protests and excuses coming from the United States are no longer believed by anyone — except the German government.
It seems satisfied with the verbal tranquilizers pedaled by America and blithely passes them along to the public. Germany has not only swiftly declared the NSA debate closed, it has done so woefully prematurely. It's decidedly not over yet. We suspect instead that the scandal has not yet even reached its high point. The more details that become common knowledge, the more clearly do we realize the enormity of the uncontrolled monitoring. It is cause for us to be disturbed and upset.
Anyone who still reacts with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders has already lost the battle against total surveillance.
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