Espionage: After the US, complaint targets the British.
As if the privacy violations committed by the United States government weren't enough, a new report based on documents from Edward Snowden shows that the British surveillance agency operates a network of "electronic espionage outposts" near the German Parliament and the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel; this revelation comes from the British newspaper The Independent.
Nov 5 (Reuters) - Documents leaked by former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden show that the British surveillance agency operates a network of "electronic espionage outposts" near the German Parliament and the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the British newspaper Independent reported.
NSA documents, along with aerial photographs and information about past espionage activities in Germany, suggest that Britain operates its own secret listening post near Parliament and the Chancellor's office using high-tech equipment installed on the roof of its embassy in Berlin, according to the British newspaper.
The espionage operation, conducted by the British agency GCHQ in diplomatic buildings around the world to intercept data in host countries, is being carried out in conjunction with the US and other partners, the Independent reported.
Spy agencies across Western Europe are working together on mass surveillance of the internet and telephone traffic in programs similar to those conducted by their US counterparts and criticized by European governments, the British newspaper The Guardian reported on Saturday.
GCHQ was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.
(Reporting by Varun Aggarwal in Bangalore)