Saturday, October 26, 2013

What's It All About Then

Because they can? Massive commercial espionage project? Potential blackmail? Attempt to interfere in the politics of other countries? I don't really know the answer. Maybe we'll never know.

The US has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone since 2002, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine.

The German publication claims to have seen secret documents from the National Security Agency which show Mrs Merkel's number on a list dating from 2002 - before she became chancellor.

And, no, it isn't the case that "of course" we do this. Potential benefits are minimal, and potential costs are huge. Someone isn't doing the cost benefit analysis.