German spooks want to charge journalists with TREASON for publishing spy plans

Life Imitating Art Imitating Life Imitating Art

Dear Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution,

Please go get a copy of Das Leben der Anderen* and watch, absorb and inwardly digest. Might give you a clue about where we worry all this is heading.

Thank you.

*The Lives of Others

And this after making Snowden such a hero ...

Not so much fun when it happens to you, eh?

The deafening silence from Europe

When the Snowden files first aired, made me think "it's cos they're all at it"...

Works 4 me

A crim is a crim is a crim.

Tosser.

Precedents have been set...

The States are playing game with Snowden, there's Wikileaks, and probably others less well-known. Now Germany... We don't know about Russia and China, but I'm sure the rest of the world is on this same path.

Of course they are. Individuals and small groups have the capability to directly harm powerful individuals and their groups financially and/or existentially. We must be controlled so that the threat we pose is deflected or eliminated. Since those in power directly, or indirectly through financial arrangements (campaign donations), have shockingly improved capabilities (e.g. monitoring, censorship), it's not surprising at all that everyone of them is doing this or will be if the Hacking Team example is typical (very interesting reading. The only thing that is surprising is that individuals are able to get at least some of the word out about what is or will be happening at significant hazard to themselves. I consider them the real heroes although if reporters are now targets, I'll extend that same category to them as well.

Just a random thought, but here's my personal definition of a Warrior: Someone who defends those who are unable or unwilling to defend themselves. Sounds like some reporters out there in addition to the leakers. And I don't give a rat-frag which secrets come in from out in the cold. I've handled quite a bit of material that had the highest classifications possible and guess what? There was no reason it was classified at all as you can go to any good library and read it out of a book. From what I understand, over-classification is far, far worse today. [Which is how you end up with people being unable to discuss something just on the evening news or, worse, a newspaper/web page.]

50 years...

Isn't that about the length of time before the phrase "the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history" applies?

There's one interresting thing to note

Nobody, even the most dire proponents of those charges, is questioning that Netzpolitik.org is staffed by journalists.

We have come to a point where it's consensus that a donation based online magazine can be a reputed piece of journalism.

15 years behind the pack....

While Germany stumbles over "planning" such a system, its ally friends went ahead and implemented mass surveilance anyway - without the consensus of of their citizens.

They've long moved on to desensetising their citizens, to the point that it has to be expected that your internet communication is monitored.

While Germans somehow still expect that their communication is private, people in the five eye countries would consider them delusional.

In this regard Assange and Snowden have done their counties a great service. The never ending "revelations" ot somebody spying on somebody else have had no impact on policy or actions within intelligence services. Living under the assumptions that "it happens" anyway and nothing can be done about it creates just the right athmosphere of complacency required to get away with it. It's really a Muppet Show where this week the US accuses the Cinese, then the Germans accuse the US and North Korea accuse everyone. I really enjoyed watching "The Interview".

So let Snowden and Assange come home and retire from active service.

Uh Oh - a black Van just pulled up in front of my house.... :)

Is it any surprise...

..those pricks in government want to be able to monitor and control information exchange by the people.

Every country has monitoring and surveillance of its citizens on the internet. Ever wondered why the government pushes for everyone to be on it - with money for rollout and all governent interaction (tax/benefits) on line.

Its for their benefit not yours.

German 'lacking in'Intelligence Services today discovered the Streisand Affect. Kicking of a court case to protect their secrecy and skull duggery only to shine a massive spot light on it and achieve the exact opposite affect.

German 'lacking in'Intelligence Services now profoundly wishes the idiot who decided this was a good idea would have just sucked it up, rather than let their inflated ego get the better of them. If you want sheeple, America, the land of laughable exceptionlism is the place to go, not Germany.

Especially like the East Germans, I mean it's not like a few generations of East Germans as especially sensitive to being spied upon and will react very negatively to it and seek to ensure they do not become subject to it again.

...and they should!

No one has the right to disclose confidential data to the world, especially government program information designed for national security. I hope they spend the next 30 years in prison. Anyone with a clue knows that all countries capable use mass communications and other surveillance for national security and they should. Naturally the populace is oblivious to the threats around them and that is why people die from terrorism or have their bank accounts cleaned out by digital crims.