About: Spying Archives

“One day I said at a College meeting that we should have a secret service, because agents are here,” European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker jokingly said, after allegations by the German press that Germany's national intelligence agency spied on top French officials and the EU's headquarters on behalf of US intelligence.

Europe's data protection authorities have laid down their guiding principles for the use of European citizens' personal data, in a joint statement that describes data protection as a fundamental right. EURACTIV France reports. 

The latest leaked spying records reveal that Germany’s BND intelligence agency considers Turkey a target, complicating relations between Ankara and Berlin at a time when the German government is considering arming Iraq’s Kurdish minority. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany told the CIA station chief in Berlin to leave the country on Thursday (10 July) in a dramatic display of anger from Chancellor Angela Merkel at the behaviour of a close ally after officials unearthed two suspected US spies.

Big data raises big questions. What does it mean for the relationship between citizens and governments, customers and businesses, workers and employers? As governments worldwide ponder how to deal with privacy in a 'big data age', John Podesta recommends to the US president Barack Obama that the protections of the 1974 Privacy Act should be extended to non-US citizens as well.

Civil rights groups filed criminal complaints in several EU member states on Monday (2 February), accusing government officials and secret service leaders of taking part in or aiding illegal intelligence activities, EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany on Tuesday (5 October) asked the British ambassador to come to the foreign ministry to discuss a newspaper report that a covert spying station was operating in Berlin with hi-tech equipment mounted on the embassy roof.

The recent revelation about the scope of spying activities has shocked even national leaders, who are generally aware of secret national security programmes and their implications. But the debate should focus on another very important point: the responsibility of our legislators, writes Vigjilenca Abazi.