Germany to resume spying on US, UK spies in Germany
The government of Germany has announced that it will take the same measures to prevent spying by the United States and United Kingdom within its borders as it takes to prevent spying by more traditional adversaries such as Russia and China.
The Telegraph reports that German intelligence will now monitor U.S. and British intelligence officials and their operations in German territory. Since the end of World War II, British and U.S. intelligence operatives have been able to move freely throughout Germany.
While German intelligence has said that it will now watch over foreign operatives in Germany, they did not say they would try to carry out their own spy operations in the United States or United Kingdom.
The decision to begin spying on U.S. and British operatives and operations was motivated by the revelations of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as recent developments within Germany.
Among the documents taken by Edward Snowden and given to the journalist Glenn Greenwald was evidence that the NSA had tapped the phones of various world leaders, including American allies such as Germany and Brazil. This outraged German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the rest of the German population.
The phone tapping had only just recently begun to recede into memory when German intelligence discovered two members of the German spy agency, Federal Intelligence Service, (BND) were handing over sensitive information to the United States. Ironically, one of these double agents was found to be providing the U.S. with information about a parliamentary inquiry into the NSA revelations about phone tapping.
Although Germany has chosen to resume spying on intelligence operations within its borders, Germany is also open to trying to mend its relation with the United States. The Telegraph notes that two high-ranking officials from the U.S. traveled to Germany to meet with their German counterparts and try to iron out the disagreements that have strained the relationship.
