Countering espionage, Germany reviews contracts.
Hans-Peter Uhl, parliamentary spokesman on domestic policy for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, reportedly said that the government should demand that Cisco not hand over sensitive data to the NSA (National Security Agency), the agency of the Barack Obama administration.
BERLIN, Dec 21 (Reuters) - American companies like Cisco, which manages much of the data for the German armed forces, should be contractually prohibited from passing confidential information to US security services, a spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives reportedly said.
The German magazine Focus quoted Hans-Peter Uhl, parliamentary spokesman for domestic policy for the conservatives, as saying on Saturday that Cisco should be required by contract not to pass on sensitive data to the NSA (National Security Agency).
He said the German government wants to monitor US companies more closely in the future.
A government spokeswoman declined to comment on the Focus report.
Previous reports that the NSA had tapped phones and emails in Europe, including Merkel's cell phone, caused outrage in Germany, where memories of the invasive surveillance by the Stasi, the secret police during the communist rule of East Germany, remain vivid.
On Friday, US President Barack Obama attempted to strike a middle ground on issues concerning NSA surveillance practices, saying that some system checks are necessary, but that "we cannot unilaterally disarm."
(By Michelle Martin)