‘Whole of Europe needs to work to prevent US spying’
18 Feb 2014 5:37 AM IST
Angela Merkel’s weekend comments came despite intensive efforts by President Barack Obama to quell European anger over the NSA revelations made public by former contractor Edward Snowden, including documents that showed US spy agencies tapped Ms Merkel’s mobile phone.
Ms Merkel said she would press François Hollande, the French president, to back a push for EU-based alternatives to the current US-dominated internet infrastructure when she holds talks in Paris on Wednesday.
High quality global journalism requires investment. ‘We’ll talk with France about how we can maintain a high level of data protection,’ Ms Merkel said in her weekly podcast. ‘Above all, we’ll talk with European providers that offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn’t have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic.’
Internet service providers questioned the utility of Ms Merkel’s proposals. One US company, which refused to be named, said there were questions over the practicalities of how email between the US and countries in this undefined new service would work.
Some tech experts have warned that proposals to build alternative networks in Europe and force internet companies to store data about Europeans locally fail to take account of how the internet operates, or the continued legal obligation of American companies to turn information over to the NSA no matter where it is stored. US tech companies have also warned that a move to build secure regional networks would fragment the internet, turning it into a series of isolated regional data systems.
Ms Merkel’s decision to throw her personal backing behind EU-centric internet services reflects how politically charged the issue is in Germany. Mr Snowden gave an interview to state broadcaster ARD saying the creation of a European ‘cloud’ that did not send electronic data to servers on US soil would not defend Europe from espionage.
Ms Merkel said she would press François Hollande, the French president, to back a push for EU-based alternatives to the current US-dominated internet infrastructure when she holds talks in Paris on Wednesday.
High quality global journalism requires investment. ‘We’ll talk with France about how we can maintain a high level of data protection,’ Ms Merkel said in her weekly podcast. ‘Above all, we’ll talk with European providers that offer security for our citizens, so that one shouldn’t have to send emails and other information across the Atlantic.’
Internet service providers questioned the utility of Ms Merkel’s proposals. One US company, which refused to be named, said there were questions over the practicalities of how email between the US and countries in this undefined new service would work.
Some tech experts have warned that proposals to build alternative networks in Europe and force internet companies to store data about Europeans locally fail to take account of how the internet operates, or the continued legal obligation of American companies to turn information over to the NSA no matter where it is stored. US tech companies have also warned that a move to build secure regional networks would fragment the internet, turning it into a series of isolated regional data systems.
Ms Merkel’s decision to throw her personal backing behind EU-centric internet services reflects how politically charged the issue is in Germany. Mr Snowden gave an interview to state broadcaster ARD saying the creation of a European ‘cloud’ that did not send electronic data to servers on US soil would not defend Europe from espionage.
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