A new intelligence leak claims that the US is conducting
large scale surveillance of EU governments. Apparently the NSA has
bugged EU offices in the US and in Brussels, intercepting hundreds
of millions of communications. Embarrassing for the US. One German
politician has likened it to the days of the Cold War.
The same source, former US intelligence contractor Edward
Snowden, has previously leaked information about a US government
program, PRISM, through which the NSA gains access to huge amounts
of internet data including emails, chat rooms and video.
Public outcry about PRISM was likely a factor in our federal
government's recent decision not to implement new data
retention laws. The proposed laws would have required
telecommunications data to be stored for two years in case needed
by law enforcement or security agencies.
