Germany and France Looking To Create NSA-Free European Communications Networks

According to the German Chancellor’s weekly podcast she will be working with France to develop a European Communications Network that bypasses any American-based nodes that are vulnerable to NSA surveillance. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French President Francois Hollande as she prepares to make a formal state visit and European privacy is expected to be high on the agenda. Since the emergence of the NSA scandal Germany have been one of the staunchest critics of the USA’s wide-reaching surveillance programs.

“Above all, we’ll talk about how European providers can offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn’t have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic. Rather one could build up a communication network inside Europe.” Said Angela Merkel.

There has been much discussion within Europe about how the privacy of European citizens can be protected from the USA’s snooping. Several European nations have called for penalties to be levied against the USA in retaliation, such as weakening or cancelling of trade links. Germany has been pushing for a “no-spying” agreement with the USA but so far they’ve refused to get involved with discussions. All this has occurred while the USA has begun reforms of the NSA but so far the reforms have been nothing but superficial PR exercises that are designed to bring no significant changes, the NSA’s power still remains pervasive and unrestrained.

Image courtesy of the Telegraph (UK)