German intelligence secretly spied on foreign media

German newspaper Der Spiegel revealed that the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) secretly spied on Western and international news agencies for many years.

Outside the headquarters of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND). Photo: Reuters.

The BND has spied on more than 50 phone and fax numbers as well as email addresses of journalists and news agencies around the world since 1999, Der Spiegel said on February 25, citing an investigative report from a German parliamentary committee on US spying activities in Germany and cooperation with the US in intelligence sharing.

Among the list of media outlets spied on by the BND are reporters from the BBC, Reuters news agency and The New York Times, according to Der Spiegel.

The BND declined to comment on the Der Spiegel report. Reporters Without Borders called the BND's actions a "serious violation of press freedom" and a "violation of the constitution."

The organization expressed concern that German intelligence could continue spying on foreign journalists. And German lawmakers have also criticized the BND for violating press freedom.

In 2013, former US National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden leaked classified NSA documents showing that the NSA secretly spied on US allies including France and Germany. At that time, the German government strongly opposed the spying activities of US intelligence.

According to TNO