German Authorities Lack Evidence To Prosecute Anyone For NSA Spying

jfruh (300774) writes "The revelations about the NSA's surveillance program caused particular outrage in Germany, a country that is closely allied with the United States but nevertheless found that its leader's cell phone was being snooped on. Nevertheless, the German federal prosecutor's office will not be bringing any charges against anyone, mostly because they lack enough evidence (Google translation). The decision is sparking anger among German privacy advocates."

Re:That's too bad

[wealthychef]

Even accepting your idea that there should be no limits on espionage, one big problem here is that the espionage was discovered. If you are going to spy on me, I'd better not find out about it. That's just the way the game is played. If it were OK to do, they wouldn't call it "spying," they would call it "looking."

Re:That's too bad

[Anonymous Coward]

Stop with the "it's their job!" nonsense. Nobody is buying it. Our president was just saying a few months before the NSA revelations that China was hacking into our government systems and considered it a breach of treaty and an illegal act of aggression. The only difference here is that the "bad guys" are on our side and you are buying into their propaganda.

"Everybody else is doing it" also is not an excuse. It didn't work when you were a child and sure as fuck doesn't work when you're a adult. Do not make excuses for those that are actively making themselves your enemy.

translation

[stenvar]

The NSA couldn't spy and monitor in Germany without the close and widespread collaboration of the German government and German corporations.

What they are really saying is that they couldn't find someone to shift the blame to outside the government or the corporations close to the government.