The German secret service BND has pulled the plug on the internet surveillance program for the US National Security Agency (NSA) amid the growing scandal over its extent of cooperation in spying on its EU partners, German media reported.
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The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – the German Federal
Intelligence Service – stopped sharing internet surveillance data
with the NSA on Monday, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, public
broadcasters NDR and WDR, and national news agency DPA reported.
Berlin has demanded that the US spy agency first file an official
request explaining the need for the internet-based data from
Germany’s Bad Aibling listening post in Bavaria, where 120 BND
employees and some NSA technicians work, according to reports.
The NSA has reportedly refused to comply with the request due to
short notice. Washington has not yet commented on the issue.
READ MORE: BND helped NSA spy on EU politicians & companies ‘against German interests’
However, the BND will continue to garner telephone calls and fax
messages for Washington as this service falls under a different
agreement.
German media reported on Thursday that the Chancellery made the
decision to limit cooperation with the NSA in order to reshape
future relations with the agency.
The request comes amid an investigation into recent revelations
that suggested the BND had been spying on European politicians
and enterprises for Washington for over a decade.
READ MORE: German opposition demands probe into BND/NSA surveillance & industrial espionage
Konstantin von Notz, an opposition Green party member on the
investigation committee, confirmed the significant curtailment of
cooperation in an interview to ARD television, saying “This
is a drastic step.”
"I think they've pulled the emergency brake because, even in
2015, they still can't control the search terms for Internet
traffic." He also accused the German government of failing
to “protect German and European interests."
On Monday Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads the foreign
intelligence agency, tried to defend its spying activities saying
that she will fully cooperate with a parliamentary investigation
and provide “all the details” necessary.
She added that it was imperative both agencies continue
cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, but
reiterated that it’s unacceptable to spy on friendly nations.
READ MORE: German govt accused of lying to parliament about NSA spying
Members of Merkel’s cabinet have been testifying before the
parliamentary investigation committee over allegations that the
BND acted against national interests. Among the latest was the
testimony of current Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who
oversaw the foreign agency’s activities from 2005 to 2009 when he
was the chancellor's chief of staff.
After a closed testimony on Wednesday, De Maiziere told reporters
that he knew nothing of the "search terms from the US side,
selectors or similar, for the purpose of economic espionage in
Germany."
In April, Der Spiegel reported that the NSA had sent the BND
thousands of so-called ‘selectors’, which included IP addresses,
emails, and phone numbers, over the course of 10 years. The BND
downloaded the NSA selectors into their monitoring system and
used them to spy on targets, among which were European
politicians, including French authorities, and European companies
such as European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS),
Eurocopter, and the European aviation consortium Airbus.