It seems that Germans are actually interested in privacy. I was really surprised to see a program on a very popular German TV channel last week where email/message encryption was explained using very simple diagrams, from the user's side. It wasn't a how-to - they didn't say "google gpg, click here, click there". But just seeing a 30+ minute report about public-key cryptography at a reasonable time (I think it was around 2100), on a national TV - that's a serious step in the right direction.
Big deal, it's not really in use. If you really want to stick it to the US refuse to allow the TSA access to your passenger data. Refuse to give the IRS financial information. Toss out the entire US military from their bases. Then maybe I will think there is real outrage.
Hah. Remember when the Germans installed rootkits just a blink ago? <a href="http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2011/staatstrojaner" rel="nofollow">http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2011/staatstrojaner</a>
I'm a little confused about this article. From the article<p>"Ending an agreement made in the pre-internet age gives the Germans a chance to show they're doing something, and at the same time the Americans know it's not going to hurt them."<p>It's completely a symbolic gesture. It seems to me like the Germans are just playing a political game, hoping that (somehow) the people don't notice. Any German natives able to give insight into the general feeling among the population (preferably the whole population, not just 20 something start-up guys)?
Ending a pact and stopping data sharing are different things apparently:<p>> "the decision would have no impact on current intelligence co-operation."<p>> "Given the good relations between the intelligence agencies, they'll get the information they need anyway," ['A German official'] said.
Well, spies should and do hide in the shadows. We will have to wait 10 years to see if this is the truth.<p>And then we still can't be sure, NSA/CIA/Stasi/KGB/FSB/BFST/PST ( the whole <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intelligence_agencies" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intelligence_agencies</a> list ) can have been better at preventing whistleblowers like Snowden so we never can know 100%.<p>Better make the necessary preparation today.
Previous discussion: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6146770" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6146770</a><p>But it's always very interesting to compare how different news outlets/countries sell the story differently.