UPDATE 25/10/13: The spying debate, which had begun to die down, has reignited over a fresh set of allegations. Earlier this week, French newspaper Le Monde reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had recorded tens of thousands of French phone calls, and there are now allegations that the NSA may even have monitored German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone. We’ll be carrying out some new interviews on this topic, so please let us know your reactions and we’ll try to get a response.
Spain’s foreign minister yesterday apologised for the “misunderstanding” that led to Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane being denied access to Spanish airspace. He also confirmed that Spain had been acting on a request from the US, who suspected NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden was being smuggled out of Russia stowed aboard the Bolivian presidential jet. Snowden is currently assumed to still be in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, where he has been seeking asylum from a group of countries that aren’t exactly on the White House Christmas card list.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticised the incident, which took place last week and involved the governments of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal allegedly closing their airspace, leaving President Morales stranded in Vienna airport for 13 hours (the airport has nice Mozartkugel, apparently). Ban Ki-moon said that it was “important to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future… A head of state and his or her aircraft enjoy immunity and inviolability.”
The scandal occurred at a sensitive time for US-EU relations, with allegations that the NSA (as well as the UK spying agency GCHQ) have been running mass surveillance programmes and spying on European nations, including bugging EU offices in Washington and intercepting metadata from billions of telephone calls, emails and text messages sent each month in the European Union. At the same time, the EU and US have just begun negotiations over a free trade deal potentially worth hundreds of billions of euros.
How should Europe respond to these spying allegations? We had a comment recently from Bastian, who argued:
The EU has no genuine foreign policy [independent] from the USA. We are just witnessing this again in observing its reaction to the NSA snooping… Everything reflects US interests more than European.
To get a reaction to Bastian’s comment, we put it earlier today to Ivo Vajgl, former Slovenian foreign minister and currently a Member of the European Parliament with the Liberal Democrats group. How would he respond to Bastian?
Actually, I am not very satisfied with the reaction of the European Union. And I am also scandalised by the behaviour of the French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian governments, who were harassing the Bolivian President.
I think we should stick to our values and tell the Americans that we don’t think it’s a good idea to persecute somebody who actually disclosed wrongdoing. And I see it as very bad practice to spy everywhere, on everyone, and to spy on our private lives.
IMAGE CREDITS: CC / Flickr – Electronic Frontier Foundation
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No realy.I think the EU should respond to this scandal.
yes we are!!!
offer Snowden asylum….
If we were to offer Snowden asylum, as praiseworthy and right as that would be, he would have little or no security from either the US Gestapo or the Mossad maniacs, who are in cahoots. He is safer where he is, at the moment.
Imagine though, it took Russia to stand up for this modern day freedom fighter. What a disgrace to the rest of us.
If we were to offer Snowden asylum, as praiseworthy and right as that would be, he would have little or no security from either the US Gestapo or the Mossad maniacs, who are in cahoots. He is safer where he is, at the moment.
Imagine though, it took Russia to stand up for this modern day freedom fighter. What a disgrace to the rest of us.
On the way forward with the USA, I will post in a different box
I wrote this in a response to another poster.
If we were to offer Snowden asylum, as praiseworthy and right as that would be, he would have little or no security from either the US Gestapo or the Mossad maniacs, who are in cahoots. He is safer where he is, at the moment.
Imagine though, it took Russia to stand up for this modern day freedom fighter. What a disgrace to the rest of us.
On the way forward with the USA, I will post in a different box
They are in it together…
“Actually, I am not very satisfied with the reaction of the European Union.” Mr. Ivo Vajgl, neither am I. I would like EP to invite Snowden and then talk about the situation. This is very big blow for European Union and the USA relationship.
No realy.I think the EU should respond to this scandal.
offer Snowden asylum….
They are in it together…
Of course the European Union should responde to this scandal immidiately, but then again what European Union…if the scandal didn’t bother Germany then who is going to respond?
ha ha as if noone knows that they re be watching everything they want both in europe and usa…..there is nothing surprising or to respond to…it is a status quo decades now
The EU should respond immediately and in order to be heard, it should stop any diplomatic relations for the time being.
Later on, it should re-establish relations on it’s own terms
It’s interesting I feel a just because here..”.just because European Capitals spy on one anther as well as the United States, particularly when it comes to economic espionage, it doesn’t mean it’s right for the US to do the same”. Grow up Europe and stop being so righteous; your social democratic fabric is tattering as we speak.
Shhhh! I’m sick and tired of Club Med types over-reacting in their passionate erratic illogical way – no wonder Club Med countries beg for money from the Northern Europeans!!
i feel sorry for snowden….he said something that we all knew and now they after him i wonder why…..i hope he will not have more troubles
The EU should seek the best diplomatic ways to solve this problem in order to find out if the NSA is spying on Europeans. We don´t share their away of controlling what is sent, said and written between fellow citizens. We believe in the freedom of expression and for us, Europeans, the idea of someone seeing our conversations goes against what is morally and legally accepted.
However we can not forget the background between US and EU and the role of US in the EU financial system. Without their “help”, the crisis that the EU is going through would be more severe (although the intervention of IMF is mostly contested in pretty much every country it is lending money).
You’re living in a fantasy world mister, the crisis was created by the Wall ST, why are you not familiar common knowledge?
So this is not a scandal then?. http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/eu-tracks-line-users-warning-rul-news-528626#.UcGDShca0jk.facebook
An if there is one political organisation that needs keeping tabs on it is without doubt the eu.
First, ask why. Second, depending on the answer, change the international relation with USA. No country should have forbiden the landing of the aircraft of Evo Morales. Not only because we’re not the buffers of the US, but because it’s our interest to know what’s happening, and we wont know by just asking to america.
ha ha as if noone knows that they re be watching everything they want both in europe and usa…..there is nothing surprising or to respond to…it is a status quo decades now
i feel sorry for snowden….he said something that we all knew and now they after him i wonder why…..i hope he will not have more troubles
First, ask why. Second, depending on the answer, change the international relation with USA. No country should have forbiden the landing of the aircraft of Evo Morales. Not only because we’re not the buffers of the US, but because it’s our interest to know what’s happening, and we wont know by just asking to america.
What foreign policy? Last time I checked there was none. The lack of vision, that most of Europe political class display is disturbing and troublesome.
What foreign policy? Last time I checked there was none. The lack of vision, that most of Europe political class display is disturbing and troublesome.
For sure EU:s CFSP have not been put into practice, The US is in charge
Well here is what I think… : http://eblanademocraticmove.blogspot.ie/2013/06/spying-is-not-acceptable-practice.html
“If they use such practices on EU offices, imagine what they do to the missions of smaller nations. They behave like the big brother of this world and it has to stop. These are not signs of an alliance and equal partnership, rather a surveillance and dominance.
I guess they will always carry the complex of superiority and rightful leader of the Western nations, but do we have to put up with it? The “West” is a far broader political and cultural entity, to be highjacked, monopolized and dominated solely by America.
Recently the EU and US are trying to proceed to a free trade agreement, that will boost the cooperation and boost both partners’ economies. Militarily Europe is also a close ally of the US, with almost every EU member belonging to the NATO as well.
All new EU states plus the candidate ones, have rushed to join the alliance in order to receive help with their military upgrading and “protection” from the USA. So why do we need to be subjected to US surveillance? I believe that our leaders must demand an explanation about this, as soon as possible.”
I am sure that the USA would not spy on the likes of France (an absolute disgrace during WW2 – so much so that the UK had to scuttle France’s fleet) or Italy (another disgrace) or Germany (the most powerful EU nation if it ever was unleashed) if they hadn’t previously demonstrated such disgraceful behaviour toward the USA in the past.
Once bitten twice shy!!
I think that human rights protection and transparency are the features that distinguish EU from any other State or institution in the world. We can afford to never compromise and we can show to everyone how democracy and freedom really works, and that is because any national interest, that may be used as an excuse for closing an eye on human rights (as they so often do even in the USA) is balanced by the opinion of every other member state. Therefore i agree with Mr. Vajgl that the behavior shown by some States is absolutely shameful, but i also think that the reaction of the EU institutions should have been much much stronger.
The free trade deal should be put on hold, untill the USA drop all charges against Snowden. We should be teaching lessons, and instead we are sending the message that a free trade agreement is worth more than human rights protection
What a load of ill-informed vitriol.
The EU cannot even manage to implement one person one vote!
Thank you Irvin Lepic. It is exactely what I believe in about the EU. This true free democratic spot on the planet that is bright as a lamp. There is no other place on the planet, that is more fair, free, dear embracing, mildly, etc than the states of Europe. This cosy Union is worth fighting for. This is the good part. The bad part I will write later.
European Union should demand explanations and prosecution of every US official involved in the NSA’s mass surveillance programme. Not only that it violets basic human rights, US National Security should not have any jurisdiction on the European floors. As Europe we should not dependant on the United States of America and approve of its imperialistic methods. Basically, I think that Surveillance programmes should be actively discussed in the parliament as well as introducing improvements on our foreign policy and lastly protection of the “whisteblowers”. This should be throughly discussed and adapt new laws at least try to reduce the possibility of mass surveillance.
Of course, splendid idea!! While you are at it please make sure that the German’s [with a Chinese ‘plant’] are prosecuted for industrial espionage on ‘Dyson’ [ a UK electronics company] and too the French spies caught red-handed posing as Brits and taking photos of UK ship engine-rooms a few years back.
GET REAL!!!!
I never saw any EU foreign policy
yes…very much so
Asylum and Sakharov prize to Snowden, full investigation and strong position in demanding data of EU ctzns in US database, collected with such programmes, to be DESTROYED. Suing US to International Cort of Justice would also be nice, but I think the latter is up to one of Member States.
plus giving up own programmes such as http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/INDECT / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INDECT
This show us that europe keep being a toy in the US’s hands. We must wake up and see that the US are not our perfect allies, they are just an other country fighting for their great companies’ interests.
A organisation like the EU has the power of reestore the global equilibrium, in a world disbalanced on the US’s side. But for that, all of we in the EU should work together as one force, not as 27 small and unable forces.
By the moment, I don’t see a united europe, but a divided europe where all countries keep fighting against each other, not with weapons this time, but with politics. First of all, we have to see that in this world, europe is our ally, not any other foreign goverment.
We should have a Northern EU and a Southern EU – the Latin nations are too irrational [they call it passion LOL] and too financially dependent on the bulk of the Northern EU nations to be considered equal and reliable partners!
Do you think EU foreign policy is too closely-aligned to US interests?
I think we’ve a lack of European foreign policy in Europe. It’s a legacy of the Cold war. Even without US, for two decades until the reunification of the Germany, no real and coherent foreign policy have been undertaken. The recent question on the intervention in Maly, the relationship with Israël, human rights policy are relevant acts.
It’s not an insult to say that US interferes in our policy still the last world war for its profit.
Or are the two natural allies that share the same values?
In policy, US is not, absolutely not the EU. How can we qualify the US interference in the South America governments ? Military intervention in Iraq ? Kyoto ?
Even in the economy or industry the US don’t play the same game. With the dollar and the monetary creation we will play with a partner which subvention its industries. The spread US Dollar/Euro is not in our favor.
Should Europe respond angrily to the spying allegations? Or would that jeopardise the EU-US free trade deal currently being negotiated?
Clearly !! We haven’t a consensus in Europe on what should be our economy. It’s a preliminary before a discussion with the most bigger competitor of the Europe. US search a market for its strong manufacturing tool and it’s fifty stats which secure together. US is not definitely our big brother now ! It has never been. It’s just during decades its interests was our interests and our development.
The real question is : can we really profit equal to equal of this agreement ?
US try to make a balance of power with the region of south east Asia to become the reference in the global market. We must do the same : It’s an opportunity to review our partnership with Asia (maybe Africa) to emerge victorious of such agreement.
And to conclude, their a huge problem of respect between European partner. The situation about the cultural exception is justified and relevant. It’s the question of the national culture creation. It’s crucial for the identity and the soft power of a nation abroad (and US knows that because the most of cinema in Europe is only made in USA and they work for that !!!). And nothing tell us that the agreement will be settled between the white house and the EU commission would be the real one : the one would be validated by the US congress.
IT’S TIME TO EMANCIPATE OURSELF !
The CULTURAL EXCEPTION is UNJUSTIFIED – it is typical protectionist-cum-RACIST trash from France
France MUST PAY for its CULTURAL EXCEPTION in some way shape or form – the EU parliament in Strasbourg must be shut down AND English [the MOST multicultural and diverse and most widely spoken language in the world] must be adopted as the ONLY official EU language!!
@Tarquin Farquhar :
English is not the most widely spoken language in the Europe and even in the world. You need to glance statistics about spoken languages. So your arguments are false and biased. And even if it would be the case (in an imaginary world), why in Europe our culture and our language would have to be less important than the english one. Please respond to this question.
And the cultural exception is justified in relation to the politic of the French country. It’s also pertinent that the fact US after the war wanted to impose their cinema program in France as the only available. Why the first policy is unjustified when the second one is “normal”. Overall the second is clearly a fact of hegemony.
Also The culture is also called Soft-Power and is a powerful tool in the geopolitic strategies. Why France and the UE should sacrifice their policy and their geopolitic in the world for the pleasure of the english or US citizen ?
So please make your arguments more consistent. And because you seem to not know your subject, I give you one information about the cultural exception. France pays with its own money and its own taxes its cultural exception. The cultural exception doesn’t consist to discriminate the cinema of other country, not at all. We are the zone the most open to the world concerning the cinema culture. The goal is to protect a shelter for our own cinema production against the aggressive and very strong (and subsidized) US cinema. This shelter is ridiculous compared to the made USA products diffused in France.
Please be more tolerant. Also I would know your nationality to keep a such speach.
Yes!!! No questions asked.
Definitely yes! These are the sort of people we should be taking in. I for one would gladly offer him free accommodation in a spare room.
Definitely no. Next he betrays Europe.
“the sinless shall first throw the stone”! What about the scandal of Secret Services of LUXEMBOURG (???) and the participation in it, of Mr Jean Claude Juncker?
Just to spite the Americans? What good would it do? The man shall forever be hounded by not only the secret services but also any mafia group with an eye for easy money. He has good and useful information in his head – which can be sold to numerous other states- and ultimately, he’d be traded over to the CIA anyway. Who should take responsibility for ensuring his safety? While asylum is a nice concept, any member state who took him in would have a reputation to defend from then on. It’s not worthwhile in the mind of any sane politician. And in the end, what did this whole thing really do, save expose to the public something that high level officials already knew? Snowden – however honorable – isn’t worth the whole drama and problems that he brings.
I think its a very important Issue. Here we got to demand a change.
It is a good start with a debate…
Absolutely yes! People who are risking their comfortable life and even worst their freedom, for their consciousness and for the human rights, should be rewarded not hunted!
Those who betrayed their country and Humanity,were the criminals that they are hiding behind the convenient mask of CIA agent!
yes if we stay for justice and huna rights
United States of America v. Edward J Snowden, Case No. 1:13 CR 265 (CMH); in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, before Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson.
Æquilibriæx Amicus Brief: Brief In Propria Persona by Amici Curiae, Andrea Muhrrteyn, an Alien on Pale Blue Dot: Æquilibriæx Sustainable Security Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Civilized Patriarchy’s AnthroCorpocentric Indulgences: ‘Innocence for Sale’ Jurisprudence.
These civilized patriarchy criminal charges against Snowden should be:
8. Suspended; until the United States Military finds themselves enough honourable soldiers and officers (I have never met an honourable lawyer, so I don’t know if such a thing exists; but I have met four honourable assassins (USMC, US Army, French Foreign Legion and People’s Liberation Army)) demanding that the US Military implement fully informed consenting enlistment and non disclosure agreements which accurately fully disclose to any prospective signer of such agreement that in the absence of legislation amending the Constitution’s rights to procreate and consume to ecological carrying capacity limits; any individual signing any US military enlistment form is signing up to be cannon fodder resource thieves and mass murderers for a civilized patriarchy human factory farming profiteering elite, based upon the legal authority of an ecologically illiterate constitution; or;
9. Suspended; until America’s legislators and/or jurists demonstrate their credible cause-effect-ecologically-literate-consciousness capacity for regulating (a) the relations between humans, nature and other animals species and (b) the relations between humans amongst themselves, in terms of their gender, culture, ethnic, religious and ideological conflicts; by (i) granting automatic equal legal personhood and rights to women, non-patriarchal – matriarchal or gender balanced – cultures’, nature and animal and plant species; (ii) freeing military and national security officials from their duty to protect ecologically illiterate civilized patriarchy constitutions and jurisprudence, by implementing and enforcing legislation which requires citizens to limit their rights to procreation and consumption to below carrying capacity levels; or
10. Dismissed; if Mr. Snowden signs the MILINT Earth Day Ecology of Peace Whistleblower / Activist Oath, and submits it to the Walk Your Footprint Talk to Support the Troops Military Advisory Board (11 retired Generals and Admirals concerned with ecological overshoot and scarcity induced resource war conflict).
http://tygae.weebly.com/1/post/2013/07/130707_usvsnowdenaex.html
yes.
Very much so. Otherwise Europe is nothing more than a colony of USA under their direct control.
Yes Yes Yes and Yes.
Do we have the balls to do it? Haha!!
no way
offer Snowden asylum
You mean to say that the EU was not working hand in hand with the US in spying their own citizens?
I’m shocked…
yes
Can I dislike Gabriela Miron’s comment? She would be the perfect opinionist for any authoritarian regime… #letitbe SHAME!
well, why not? :-)
“Should the EU offer asylum to whistle-blower Edward Snowden?”
Yes, of course. Do you remember those things like Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), European Convention on Human Rights, Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, etc.? Well, we should honour them! This is what EU founding fathers would do.
Here follow some biographic info on our EU founding fathers and prominent leaders to help us in interpreting how history is repeating and we must learn from past errors not to repeat them.
Robert Schuman – ‘was arrested for acts of resistance and protest against Nazi methods. He was interrogated by the Gestapo but thanks to the intervention of a German lawyer, he was saved from being sent to Dachau. Transferred as a personal prisoner of Gauleiter Joseph Buerckel, he escaped in 1942 and re-joined the French Resistance’
Alcide de Gasperi – ‘De Gasperi was arrested in March 1927 and sentenced to four years in prison. The Vatican negotiated his release. A year and a half in prison nearly broke De Gasperi’s health. After his release in July 1928, he was unemployed and in serious financial hardship, until in 1929 his ecclesiastical contacts secured him a job as a cataloguer in the Vatican Library, where he spent the next fourteen years until the collapse of Fascism in July 1943.’
Konrad Adenauer – ‘Adenauer was imprisoned for two days after the Night of the Long Knives on 30 June 1934 [..]During the next two years, Adenauer changed residences often for fear of reprisals against him, while living on the benevolence of friends. With the help of lawyers in August 1937 he was successful in claiming a pension; he received a cash settlement for his house, which had been taken over by the city of Cologne; his unpaid mortgage, penalties and taxes were waived. With reasonable financial security he managed to live in seclusion for some years. After the failed assassination attempt on Hitler in 1944, he was imprisoned for a second time as an opponent of the regime.’
Vaclav Havel – ‘Havel co-founded the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted in 1979. His political activities resulted in multiple stays in prison, and constant government surveillance and questioning by the secret police, (Sttn bezpe?nost). His longest stay in prison, from May 1979 to February 1983, is documented in letters to his wife that were later published as “Letters to Olga”.
He was known for his essays, most particularly The Power of the Powerless, in which he described a societal paradigm in which citizens were forced to “live within a lie” under the communist regime. In describing his role as a dissident, Havel wrote in 1979: “…we never decided to become dissidents. We have been transformed into them, without quite knowing how, sometimes we have ended up in prison without precisely knowing how. We simply went ahead and did certain things that we felt we ought to do, and that seemed to us decent to do, nothing more nor less.”
Lech Wa??sa – ‘Soon after beginning work at the Gda?sk (then, “Lenin”) Shipyards, he became a dissident trade-union activist. For this he was persecuted by the communist authorities, placed under surveillance, fired in 1976, and arrested several times. In August 1980 he was instrumental in political negotiations that led to the ground-breaking Gda?sk Agreement between striking workers and the government. Wa??sa, like many other Solidarity leaders and activists, was arrested; he would be incarcerated for 11 months at several eastern towns (Chylice, Otwock, and Ar?amw, near the Soviet border) until 14 November 1982. He became a co-founder of the Solidarity trade-union movement. Arrested again after martial law was imposed in Poland and Solidarity was outlawed, upon release he continued his activism and was prominent in the establishment of the 1989 Round Table Agreement that led to semi-free parliamentary elections in June 1989 and to a Solidarity-led government.’
And finally… here is the dissident who gave the name to the prize the European Parliament award every year
Andrei Sakharov – From the late 1950s Sakharov had become concerned about the moral and political implications of his work. Politically active during the 1960s, Sakharov was against nuclear proliferation. Pushing for the end of atmospheric tests, he played a role in the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, signed in Moscow.
The major turn in Sakharov?s political evolution came in 1967, when anti-ballistic missile defense became a key issue in US?Soviet relations. In a secret detailed letter to the Soviet leadership of July 21, 1967, Sakharov explains the need to “take the Americans at their word” and accept their proposal “for a bilateral rejection by the USA and the Soviet Union of the development of antiballistic missile defense”, because otherwise an arms race in this new technology would increase the likelihood of nuclear war.
[…] In 1973 and 1974, the Soviet media campaign targeted both Andrei Sakharov and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Only a few individuals in the Soviet Union dared to defend ‘traitors’ like Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn, and those who had dared were inevitably punished.
Sakharov later described that “it took years” for him “to understand how much substitution, deceit, and lack of correspondence with reality there was” in the Soviet ideals. “At first I thought, despite everything that I saw with my own eyes, that the Soviet state was a breakthrough into the future, a kind of prototype for all countries”. Then he came, in his words, to “the theory of symmetry: all governments and regimes to a first approximation are bad, all peoples are oppressed, and all are threatened by common dangers.” After that he realized that there is not much “symmetry between a cancer cell and a normal one. Yet our state is similar to a cancer cell ? with its messianism and expansionism, its totalitarian suppression of dissent, the authoritarian structure of power, with a total absence of public control in the most important decisions in domestic and foreign policy, a closed society that does not inform its citizens of anything substantial, closed to the outside world, without freedom of travel or the exchange of information.” Sakharov’s ideas on social development led him to put forward the principle of human rights as a new basis of all politics. In his works he declared that “the principle ‘what is not prohibited is allowed’ should be understood literally”, defying the unwritten ideological rules imposed by the Communist ruling elite on the society in spite of the seemingly democratic USSR Constitution.
Snowden IS the western Sakharov of the 21st century. He should get asylum in EU and Sakharov prize by the EP.
Great idea! Of course Snowden couldn’t be afforded shelter by the French because they too spy on all and sundry. Oh and Snowden couldn’t be afforded shelter by the Germans because they too spy on all and sundry. Oh and believe it or not Snowden couldn’t be afforded shelter by the British because they also spy on all and sundry…
Europe must have one voice, one leader, that for once, changes the path of destrution that the financial system created. It’s is illegal to save the banks with tax payers money. The legal and expected thing to do is to go after the bankers responsible for bad and even corrupt management and the country governants that allowed themselfs to be corrupted. Europe should stand for transparency, justice, freedom of speech and democracy for everyone. Not a representative democracy but a participative one where the laws are approved by the people, for the people. Thanks for you time
Absolutely yes!!!
Just want to share what this guys (Europe Vs Facebook) are doing for it.
Read the news of this day:
26/06/2013 – NSA/PRISM: Legal Actions against European Subsidiaries of Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Skype and Yahoo filed.
http://www.europe-v-facebook.org/EN/en.html
Well is would be pretty hard to stay idealistic about the EU and its values, if we don’t do that. So far I have always tried to defend the European Union against all the cynical a******s that seem to dominate every internet discussion about every EU-related topic. But if we do not use this opportunity to show the world and the people what the EU and actually the whole western world supposedly stands for, then maybe I really AM just a naive idiot afterall…
Of course the EU should grant asylum ! It would at least prove that its values are not mere words and it would prove also that the EU is not a colony of the US.
The EU should offer asylum to him. He has done nothing wrong and nothing that the US government itself does not do. By the same logic the US government is guilty of the same charges and even more. Edward Snowden defended the privacy of ALL of us not just the US citizens.
What are we WAITING FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR !! Enough is enough !! You let the cowboys spy on us and we shut up !. What kind of democracy is this ! What?? we don’t want to upset them ! Shame shame on you EUROPE the birthplace of civilization …
But what about the spying French or the spying Germans or the spying British…?
Methinks you should ‘think’ carefully before posting irrational and illogical comments!!
of course!
France, Denmark, Norway, Finland would be the most likely countries to offer asylum.
You might want to rethink that.
I agree with carmela and I think non Partisan countries like Scandinavia or Germany should grant him a refugee status and protect him against the revenge of US FBI
The Germans have been caught spying on all and sundry too – methinks it would be unethical and hypocritical to grant him refugee status there – don’t you?
I think it’s an european duty to offer asylum to Edward Snowden.
A duty only for those Europeans that are deluded/foolish!
ever! traitor!
Of course the UE Should offer asylum to whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
YES !!!
Yes, with no doubt, unfortunately.
OF COURSE ! USA thinks owns the world, decide wars, decide democracies at their own way ….. WE SIMPLY DO NOT ACCEPT THAT !
At this moment EU should not response in any way to US spy games. They should let them go with that. Like they already did.
Could the Union trust him? I think not.
To spy everyone, without sound reasons to do it, should not be allowed. What the “political class” in charge of the world does intend, is to see where there are possible threats to their sick desire to rule the world…But what this case shows is that in USA there is people capable to change the world, enough brave and with clear minds. Humanity is ultimately in danger of survival!
Yes!
spero qualche Stato lo protegga
Who is interested in problems of disloyal U.S. officials? The European Union has enough problems of its own. We are faced with a Europe-wide debate on the future of our continent. We must answer the question of what the EU want? Does it have to be an international economic organization or perhaps a federal European state like the United States. This is our common problem
Of course! Even because USA was spying on Europe so…what are we waiting for? or are we afraid of being invaded by US?
kill them all amercan hegemonie is already infesting europa
yes. and do not admit tecnology on the rooms.
shouldn’t respond at all…he knew what sort of job he’d applied for. he probably signed a loyalty contract. if he hadn’t known what he was signing, then he might be intellectually clallenged, which he is not ;) European companies should be worried, and take steps accordingly. Ordinary people have nothing to worry about. If they spied in that way, we wouldn’t have had the Brevik case etc…
One maybe of best protection seems to back using typewriter… Europe don’t have protection against US spy… sometimes because just some European countries spy their own citizens… Edward Snowden is better to be far from Europe… here have a lot local places maybe for FBI or Secret Service… on some countries is based american army… so that not seems safe…
Europe at best should offer Snowdon Asylum and at the very least grant him safe passage. Without him we would not know that we, and our governments are being spied on, no explanation has been given as to what end or purpose. what we do know is that the American interests lobby our representatives, who else does and how can we be sure that decisions are now being made in the interests of the people of Europe, i don’ t that they are, transparency here, accountability, here are the themes that Snowden and those like him bring to the table, Europe needs to put it’s people first and it’s wealthy powerful friends second, so Europe unanimously needs to grant Snowden safe passage.
What about the French? they were caught spying on all and sundry!
What about the Germans? they were caught spying on all and sundry!
What about the British? they were caught spying on all and sundry!
Give him …..what??????
Yes it should. Besides I don’t think it’s such a big deal, we all already know that internet and data protection don’t go hand in hand. Which is why we choose what we want to reveal on the web and what we keep secret.
Europe already responded to this crisis, nothing to debate atm, by refusing permission to land for the Bolivian president .
1. Give Snowden asylum.
2. Milk him for every bit of information to use against the US government which – make no mistake – is our enemy!
3. Run security sweeps to find any and all bugs and “decontaminate” every official build – on a REGULAR basis. Implement a stricter policy of access to official buildings.
4. Put on permanent delay or outright CANCEL the “trade agreement” ( which i haven’t read but i hear it is – AGAIN – discussed in secret and it will end poorly for the average bloke )
5. Apologize to Bolivian president for his treatment as a common peasant like we were back in the colonial age.
6. Stop sucking up to these stupid yanks – they are not better than us, we should grow a pair and stand up to them. They’re heading for oblivion anyway, we shouldn’t have to follow them to.
Things in the USA are not going to change. Their population is too numb from all that brainwashing and too stupid ( due to failing educational system ) to understand they are being screwed. So nothing changes there.
A bit of Kardashians here and a bit of gay marriage there and they forget quickly about this whole issue.
I see NO REASON why we should trade with the US, no, reason, at, all.
There are bigger and less arrogant trading partners out there -Russia, China, countries we would be SMART to foster good relations starting NOW.
Not go suck up to them when they’re already at the top.
Support the best “new world super power” candidate.
And if you think it’s the USA…i got news for you: It ain’t.
The US is on a economical downtrend the likes no western citizen has seen in his entire lifetime. They won’t stop until they reach 3rd world status, this is how bad this is.
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Also regarding this “free trade”, need i point out the US will subsidize like crazy their PRIVATE industries? After all the US government IS a tool for the corporations, that country hasn’t had an elected representative ( by the people ) since 1980.
And all that ‘free trade” = more PROFITS for industry. And as we all know from the failure of trickle down economics is that PROFITS at the top does not equal wealth at the bottom.
Not at all. We’re just making the rich richer which serves the interest of US corporates and maybe our corporates who push for this….but NO ONE ELSE.
So why do this stupid “free” trade again?
Agreed, this question has already been answered by the shameful actions of france and spain. I hope they atleast got some money for such a despicable action and maybe it will help them solve their economic situation
The true face of TTIP:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/07/tafta-us-eus-trojan-trade-agreement-talks-and-leaks-begin
Everyone can see it, it’s out in the open so stop trying ! These tyrannical bastards will never, NEVER stop trying to push their antiquated copyright down our throats !
Europe should tells the US to keep their ’90s laws and let us progress in o9ur own ways. We don’t need their fascist style state here.
european union is “chicken” they didnt do any further action… not once…Although they need money from USA for their monetery
even when snowden ask for place… they still “chicken”…by following their master, USA…
I think logically, if europe have guts, they should asking snowden further… is there anything information else that USA stolen…or the prism system etc
of course we are all afraid do that…we are all chicken…
Offer asylum to Snowden, cut diplomatic ties with the US, and reestablish them later on our own terms. We don’t need their trade agreement, they do.
He knew what he was doing and the consequences of it.
And that makes it “alright” for him to be hunted down for telling the truth to the world?
If so then our values as a species have seriously been skewed.
We have to!
u.s.a. is no one`s ally, the only thing they care is rulling the world, and europe is part of the world
The EU (EuroSoviet) dreams of having similar capabilities and no doubt the bootlicking they are doing is to get the Americans to give them the technology.
How Brussels would love to be able to do the same thing. This is why the EuroSoviet must be stopped.
The EU Latin nations over-contribute to EU policy and under-contribute to EU soliCharity. The EU will never achieve parity with the USA if the latin countries dominate proceedings!!
yes of course!
Yes !
Yes!!!
First of all, when you embrace those who pretend to be with you and are not, you will be dealt a much worse hand. They will respond with the idea ‘we knew all along they were secret enemies’ and colluded in it with them. So, they will say, we deserve all we get. They will justify their actions with this premise in the future.
Secondly and as important to each and every individual is, Snowden was working for a ‘private’ US company who was acting criminally. He was not working for the American State or government. This means the White House is colluding with ‘private’ companies who break the law by spying on their allies and pronounce the man, who tells the world of these crimes against us, a fugitive. Anyone of us who has a deep principle of honesty and of the right to know what is being done against us by a ‘private corporation’ whom we may be working for, is in danger of the fate imposed on this man by a government involved secretly with its practices and which is out of control.
Europe has a duty to uphold the Human Rights of us all, black or white ethnic or other. Therefore, Europe should grant asylum to this beleaguered man immediately. He did what anyone with a clean mind would do. He was not a government employee.
Europe SHOULD uphold ALL Human Rights.
Firstly, it should implement ONE PERSON ONE VOTE!!!
Above all, I repeat, the undemocratic EU wants to do the SAME THING!
Ashton, the enemy of ordinary people and the EU person most contemptuous of democracy and elections, is salivating at the prospect.
In any normal world, she would be arrested and hanged.
So, I could comment here what I would like to comment and would like the EU to do. But I can see that my expectations are not realistic.
Therefore, I suggest the following, as a compromise:
– Banish known US spies from EU territory… specifically, prohibit any US spy centers in Europe until, say, 2015
– give up any own programmes that are similar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INDECT
http://www.indect-project.eu/
– forbid member states to gather data of all citizens
I think, this is the least that should be done.
Kick US butt out of Europe!
President Obama should cancel the meeting because of Putin’s anti-gay law and the way he treates people who are critical about him, not because of Snowden. The EU should remain neutral on Snowden, if a country wants to give him asylum, not stand in his way.
Oh dear, the Cold war sequel…
E.U. should make it clear to U.S. that slavery and dictatorship are not an option in Europe and E.U. should protect the European citizens interests not the European politicians interest!
Where is DEMOCRACY and what happened to the citizens control over the State?
The History of US has not b fair
Speaking with one voice , being more united and more assertive would be a good start.
we are slaves of USA.. the case of Snowden it’s a proof of it. USA spy all european communications and we don’t say ANYTHING…shame on us.
I think we should be neutral, but in case we are forced to take sides I wouldnt want Russians on mine!
First – in the moment you are forced, you are not free. If this force that dictates that you have to decide between freinds, is strong enough, you might even be under dictatorship.
Second – geografically we can not afford to have old hate. I feel with the eastern countries that was long under soviet regieme. Lets not forget that period. But let us also not let i be a reason to exchange one dictatorship, with one further away.
Thank the US for saving us from the nazis and communism!
Europe should grant asylum to Snowden….that’s how it should respond damn it !
Europe should be looked up to by both US and RF since in both of these countries liberties of ordinary citizens are limited (not to the same extent of course). Instead of choosing a side in this issue, Europe should be the example of transparency of government.
what about playing its own card? to the extent the EU has one!
Getting Russia into the Union heheh ;)
Gonalo QuelhasLima: US did save also Egypt from communism… they replaced their modern, western way of life of the 1950’s and 60’s with islamist extremists. The same has happened all over the world and now there’s no end to killing. What they have done to entire Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America… is somewhat beyond belief. And yes, they call themselves as heroes of the world while people are setting themselves into fire.
Legal prosecution , expell any spy-related USproxy , make it harder for US personal (Diplomatic, C.I.A., etc) to operate, namelly by tighetning security measures on them as they themselves do to every EU citizen that goes to the USofA , p.e. electronic equipment seizure/scan etc.
Fight fire w/ Fire it’s the only language they seem to understand, coz it hurts like a “beach”… Security is Important but not at any Cost.
With a yawn and “Barack who?” It’s not like Putin was asking for anything from the US.
are informa?ii care pune U.E. n pericol?poate nare!
Just read Catalin Vasile post, and quoting:
“E.U. should make it clear to U.S. that slavery and dictatorship are not an option in Europe.”
And really follow up on that, not just word our concern.
“E.U. should protect the European citizens interests not the European politicians interests!”
i don’t know you but thanks Catalin.
with a big silence
Both Russia and USA are continuing to exist in the post Cold War mentality.. We should not side with either of them and be neutral on this… Because of them Europe was bitterly divided during the Cold War… Now it is reuniting.. What good will it do us to side with either of them? We rely on both of them and we are both their partners… We rely on the Russians for their gas and we cooperate with them on our space exploration.. Likewise we rely on USA for many other things… Keep low and watch the space… Let them sort it out…
Meus amigos esta é a minha opinião da novela Snowden as pessoas que trabalham para os serviços secretos de um pais não podem e não devem divulgar os segredos do estados eles são pagos a peso de ouro por isso devem ter o máximo sigilo profissional e o que se passa agora é o jogo do poker e quem irá fazer poker é a Russia ou os EUA na minha opinião esse Sir Snowden deve voltar a casa e que haja um julgamento transparente e não sujo e o mundo irá a ficar a saber como funciona o mundo das tecnologias esta parte eu gosto meu amigo Snowden eu fiz muitas pedições mas sinto muito deves voltar há tua nação e há tua casa
Is simple: USA is triying to protect its citizens, and ok we understand that. But what about E.U. , maybe Europe should protect its citizens as well, therfore, they should spy USA as well as USA did with Europe, just like that, for security matters
European countries should think, and consequently act, independently of the USA. What Snowden has done, is revealing something that has really occurred and for that responsibles should be prosecuted
Each country of Europe (in agreement) should simply show that if their citizens aren’t respected then we should have less relations to USA, peaceful and cordial relations based on culture/arts stuff and education, but certainly shouldn’t make anything else any easier to USA.
Europe should respond with first cancelling any US-EU trade negotations for the time being, then punish the United States of America for their actions. That would be ideal response, but the thing is as to why EU does not want to respond so loudly it is because it is doing the EU countries are doing the same thing.
Offering Snowden an eu passport…which ever one he desires. Might as well give one to Obama too.
http://eblanademocraticmove.blogspot.ie/2013/08/how-should-europe-respond-to-us-spying.html There is the full response!! ;o)
Europe has to express its support to Snowden (not to Russia) for it is committed to human rights observation.
Europe is not going to respond because Europe is a political unity you made up. Every country in Europe have their own special relationship with the USA, so you can’t look at Europe’s response because there’s no Europe in the sense you claim. There’s every country in Europe with their own separate government. Germany is trying to convince us that we’re all members of the same club, but we aren’t. European countries have different interests. You assume there’s a unity that’s really not there.
Europe is not a nation, Europe dont exist; its a ideological concept so Europe cant respond anythings like Juan Vazquez said.
With a clear “Those NSA data centre MUST be destroyed!” and stopping TTIP until this is done! And award Sakharov prize to Snowden this year.
recognize USA as spying enemy
Your comments, dear friends ,are shalow and naive!!! :)
Your comment. Marianna is so deep and educative, makes me shiver.
EU should chill out! We are all in the same game so what is all the fuss about?
Oh, it’s about the “scandal” and not the knowledge that the US and EU governments spy on their own citizens?
cu ct se pedepse?te spionaju? Dar drepturile de autor?dar intimitatea?
pe mine m-au filmat ?i nregistrat f?r? consim??mntul meu cnd vroiam s? preiau Microsoft ?i am pierdut 43,368 Mld dolari! A?a c? pot s?i dau n judecat? !
When Europe will have a serious army, maybe she will be in state of complaining :) Otherwise! Shut up, you insignificant European!
Ciaikovski tr?i?iar m?ta moart? ce e?ti Cia1,2 kgb,gru ? Hai d?ten fapt !
reroute 50 % of the budget to education and inovation – answer for all your debating questions :) cheers from Croatia
Sorry, I do not understand your language. I am just ironically answering to the question. We, Europeans are nothing without the States. Too bad.
declare total neutrality..and send all american soldiers back home..
Declare sanctions upon the US until the PRISM program has been removed from our area.
* Throw Great Britain out of the EU
* End Safe Harbor immediately
* Terminate SWIFT, PNR, police data exchange
* Establish EU counterintelligence agency
* Vote for EU dataprotection reform according to the commissions original draft + article 42 + some other NGO supported privacy enhancements
* Create EU cloud
* invest massively into the R&D of secure internet communication protocols
* invest into creating European hardware manufacturers we can trust
* Undo every singe bad legislation that the UK is responsible for
* freeze diplomatic relations with US
* establish our own credit rating agencies
* make human rights an enforceable principle throughout the union
* demand the deletion of any PII of European citizens by the US and UK
* explain to the conservative and liberal EP members, why espionage and economic espionage matter and hurt
Implement everything Caspar Bowden suggests:
1. Prominence should be given to obligatory notices that US web
services are not offering any protection against intelligence
surveillance; EU should revoke current mechanism for data export
(model contracts, Safe Harbour) and develop an autonomous European
Cloud computing policy based on free/open-source software.
2. Reinstating ‘Article 42′ extending its scope also to cover vendors
of systems/products (as well as Controllers/Processors) in EU markets.
3. Systematic protection and incentives for whistle-blowers should be
introduced in the new Regulation.
4. Institutional Reform: the creation of a new central pan-European
authority for cases involving major Third Country data-flows.
5. Improvement the EU Data Protection governance and capacities:
independence and higher status of DP officials and staff; a minimum
quota for DPAs technical staff with suitable qualifications; a
subvention of funds to support and strengthen a DP civil society
sector.
Follow The EU parlament decision. The US must learn.
for the beginning should stop pretending it didn’t know these things happened :)
IDK.. deleting this FB account? lol
THEY DO THIS SINCE EVER, NOTHING NEW
fantastic picture! :D
but are we sure it really happened? or is it just: “may have monitored even”?
By receiving Snowden in EU and giving him a very good job.
Like this photo:D
Did Europe react?? We are a colony of USA…nothing else! we can’t react…just to save the interests of big companies, interested in the free trade agreement.
Europe doesn’t act in the interests of european people.
Imagine if USA discovered to be spyed by IRAN…what would happen?
would they ask just fo “explanation”? would they be just “worried” about what happened?
Europe should be stronger, and proud! should make intererests of Europeans citizens!
USA are not acting as friends…they feel to be in competition with us. the free trade agreement should be stopped.
montagem. Stupid world, the problem is that because of the monney everything was send to sia and now we have just this we can see in the picture!
EU could admit that intercepts White House
No trust, no jobs, nothing because some wanted to stay with everything.
Come on… like kids. encrypt and protect data. Businesses do that, but government institutions instead hiring thousands of useless IT people, who does nothing.
how many years have snowden done the same thing…just an more amerikan spy in russia!should amerikan computing leave him do all that?Is he just a human with beautifull glasses cos dont see …hahah hohoh hihihi
No free trade. This is industrial spying by the private interests running the NSA.
We spy back! No no… The question is: Why did the NSA it? Are we really so close partners for the USA? But: Where is a crises can be a new chance: Both continental intelligence services working more together; but even inside Germany it is not working… We will see!
u.s.a is the best!!!jajjajajajaj
With friends like these…………………
EU should unfriend USA on facebook…
Trade less wit the US
Regardless what we do we must do something the Americans need to learn how to respect Europe and it’s people
LOL
I thought that one of the key points of European unification was to be able to speak united with one voice, so Europe can assert itself globally against other countries, blocks that are economic or political superpowers like China Russia the rest of the BRICS and of course USA itself… Only for Europe to shit itself and tremble when it comes to deal with the Americans.. We are quick to slap or criticise other countries but never our “allies”.. So much for trust and alliance… So insted of all European nations uniting and give a message to “Uncle Sam” we just moan about it in outrage!! Europe is acting like a sad middle aged wife with no self esteem that even if she is mistreated by her husband she hasn’t got the balls to leave him because she is financially dependant on him…
if they do this, that means they fear us. We already have the Eurofighter,. the most advanced helicopters in the world The Tiger plus the most advanced submarines. We can expect them on spying on us. Afterall The EU, is the biggest Economy in the world and we aren?t bankrupt. Our companies like VW or Oriflame, Siemens, Airbus rule the world
We should give asylum to Snowden
The US fear the eu?…lol that`s a good one , probably spying because the do not trust the eu , very sensible of them.
Why pretend this is a surprise?
@ Ivo Vajgl:
I am not concerned about “our values” which are either autocratically imposed on us, if you mean the top down “European values” or, if you mean the empirical values of Sovenes, Swedes, Greeks, Dutch etc., distributed in great variety throughout the continent, but I am concerned about European interests.
Does the USA (NSA, etc.) inflict on European interests or act even in the opposite, what Merkl an Co claim, and generously protect us? The latter is not unthinkable as the EU governments have practically outsourced security questions to Washington, more or less behind the back of Europe’s people.
If a relationship of this kind, protectorat (EU) and protector (USA) appears historically unavoidable to he EU establishment (Merkel & Co), it should for the sake of political hygiene at least be openly discussed and then democratically decided (referenda) with the citizens of EU nations.
The negotiations about a Transatlantic Free Trade Zone could be a proper occasion for such an undertaking.
Otherwise I am afraid the EU (including its members) is doomed to lose the rest of its credibility and justification.
Yeah Why pretend it is a surprise? I want a Euro-leader-leak! :)
BUT IN THE PILE OF TRUE #PALS, WHO IS THE BEST, MORE CONFIDENT AND POLITE? Just #wondering
The picture of Merkel and Obama at the opening of this thread tells volumes about the relationship between the EU and the USA.
get angry and unfriend the USA ;)
send back US troops
Europe is full of muslim extremists. Their spying is logical.
Let it go…
The reaction was surprisgly quiet, which is quite strange
Build your own phones, OS, network… Today’s battlefield is virtual.
Very,very good!!!T
The respond: The Noble Baroness Ashton should smack Obummer across his face publicly.
Press charges, duh.
Well for at least twenty years the NSA has been running Menwith Hills in Yorkshire , UK, which monitors all phone calls and emails. Not simply in the UK but all of Europe. So, this little nasty episode is anything but new. Since WW11 bugging has been rampant with most victors. They didn’t want to do away with the department that deals with it. Too much fun and too much of an earner for those on the inside. However, it has got far more sophisticated than it used to be and it is now covering us all 24/7. And that is uncomfortable. Now why is that?
Because we all know it is not to protect us, it is to entrap us, that is why. Should any of us come under the eye of displeasure we can be framed or used as a patsy of some kind. This includes Merkel/Hollande/Cameron and any other front runner who those at the top want to damage. Along with the little guys like us of course. How do you think they stitched up Assange? Along with those women who wanted to fix his wagon that is.
However, the question here is, what to do about it? The answer to that in the short term is to pull the plug on the game. Someone can mess up the computers that do this to stop it gong on in Europe. There is definitely a person with enough savvy to put an end to the mechanism in the short term. Crush the b——-ds in mid flight, whilst we decide where to take this. And take it they must. Legislate and bring action against companies, governments, and covert organisations who deal in this crap. The heads of these departments to be held personally responsible for taking the action they do, not able to offer up the plea of I had to do it. Government made me. There is little, if any, personal accountability, (take Blair and friends) for anything they do against the people, however, high or low, they are left feeling they can run riot. That situation has to end and these people are way too cowardly to face a long jail sentence or trial in the Hague for treason to continue in this vein should they know they will be caught and made to pay.
On top of that, the USA question. Well we all know the USA employs others to do this work for them, so all are culpable. How do you trade outside your comfort zone? You don’t if you can manage without it. Which is why it is so very important to be as self sufficient as possible.
What is the US doing with military personnel and nuclear bases in Europe? If we need them, why are they not our own? Anyone care to take a guess? Relying on another country for protection is akin to relying on the Mafia to take care of your injustices. You are left out of control of your destiny. It is managed and imposed upon by others until you end up as we are now, having to send our men to die and kill and main the world because the Godfather expects it and will, in turn, finish you off if you don’t do as he asks. Is this the future Europe sees for itself? Do we want to jump to the tune of bomb masters? Who, like the Mafia, are simply making a fortune for their top brass and laughing at us as they do it.
The quicker we can disentangle ourselves from these henchmen the better off we will be. Imagine the freedom of it. To no longer fear not going along with that which we know is not in our best interests. Not only will it free Europe it will free the world.
In reference to my precious post. Those who do not know or have not heard of Menwith Hill , Yorkshire, this guardian article tells a bit about it.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/01/menwith-hill-eavesdropping-base-expansion
You have interesting views on many subjects.
A human being is, and has, always been curious to know what others think or say about him/her. Hence, the fact that spying takes place is natural. The issue is what the intentions are. Unfortunately, the other side of the human coin, the intentions are not always nobel. Hence, the US should formally apologies and make all the tapes publicly available.
ashton is not competent enough to slap herself let alone anyone else.
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O escândalo da NSA não pode destruir a relação transatlântica a Europa deve reagir ao mostro da NSA porque ele não pode continuar a operar há revelia das regas da Democracia E a Europa deve lembrar os EUA que o escândalo da NSA estão acima das relações transatlântica
O escândalo da NSA não pode estar por cima das relações transatlântica e na era digital os segredos duram pouco tempo mesmo os que espiam
Die Kanzlerin wird zu Mikrosoft eine Frage fur 7öö Mlrd Eu stellen.Auch mit anderen Laender,Opfer von Kibershpionage,installiert durch Verkehr Satelites…uber.Verkehr Kreuzungen in alle Europa und verbindet mit der PC systemen in so viel autos….in EU.Warrum Amerikane zu schauen durch Autos und Telephone _
How should Europe respond to the US spying scandal?
We should first of all start to discuss what it means to our existence as a hole. 1. What is the largest loss from this new technology USA has turned against us?
2. Can we consider it a weapon like guns and bombs?
3. What are the benefits from this information technology from US?
To start with number three first – the benefits from this information technology is a tremendos variety of informations and entertainment. And it is now all for free – almost. It is excellent brainwork! And the money is flowing in from sources that acknowledge strategic technology. I still remember how the debate in the US was working the loss of the last tv producer and if it was ok to accept this loss or if the state should work out some plan.
The second question is a yes. It is a weapon and it is important to think this side of it with. Can we accept to be defenceless on information?
The first question is the matter that makes it essential to act. What I hear the least, is the damage this technology makes on Europe. It makes it possible for the US to make so huge amounts of money, that it is life or death for them to further develop and stay ahead, even with the risk of total uncovering. They borrows (without asking) our Ideas. They know our final price before we leave the confenrence room. They know who how and wenn to reach their goals in most matters. And they are able to stop, change or delay information to damage or slow competitors. They even know exactly when to stop to avoid getting caught or come in bad light. Financially it is the greatest advantage! What broker would not like to sit at NSA and control his investments. It is unbelievable the money that can be generatet this way. And I understand the values they want to protect – when it can not be done in any other way. The world is a dangerous place with many threats. They have to use almost any method at hand to stay ahead, or would you rather leave it to some body else? Morally they can always say that they fight terror. What I dont understand is that Europe has not long ago seen this potential and joined forces. Hopefully we can further develop the cooperation France has started with Russia on rockets, ships and cars. Because I think this task is very comprehensive and maybe to expencive for the 17 euro countries.
If the #NSA with a $52.6 billion budget pays off big time, how big must the financial rewards be they reap for their economy? #justasking