The German government said it had information that US intelligence may have monitored Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s mobile phone, following enquiries by Der Spiegel based on Snowden documents. Merkel called President Obama to protest, and Germany summoned the US ambassador.
What happened
- Merkel’s spokesman said such monitoring between close partners would be completely unacceptable.
- The White House said the US was not monitoring and would not monitor the Chancellor’s communications, but did not address past activity.
- The row coincided with reports of NSA collection of French phone records, and surveillance was raised at an EU summit.
- Later reports suggested other world leaders had also been targeted.
Why it mattered
The episode turned the Snowden disclosures into a major diplomatic crisis between allies and increased European pressure for stronger data protection and limits on intelligence gathering. Germany and Brazil went on to lead a UN General Assembly resolution on the right to privacy in the digital age.
Lessons for organisations
Senior leaders are high-value targets. Organisations should provide executives with secure, managed devices and encrypted communication tools, and brief them on the risks of using personal phones for sensitive conversations.
Source: Al Jazeera
Part of our Top stories archive of headline-making events in information security, privacy, and AI. If you would like help applying the lessons to your organisation, contact us.
