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Germany Scores First: Ends Verizon Contract Over NSA Concerns

Posted by Unknown on from the localize-spying dept.

schwit1 (797399) writes with word that, after revelations that Verizon assisted the NSA in its massive surveillance program, Germany is cutting ties with Verizon as their infrastructure provider. From the article: The Interior Ministry says it will let its current contract for Internet services with the New York-based company expire in 2015. The announcement comes after reports this week that Verizon and British company Colt provide Internet services to the German parliament and other official entities. ... Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said Thursday that Germany wants to ensure it has full control over highly sensitive government communications networks.

13 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. Now it's time for New York to nut up! by killfixx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    New York and New Jersey.

    Verizon has been fucking them for years...hard!

    Never thought I'd feel bad for people from Jersey...

    --
    "Helping to keep you two steps ahead of the Thought Police!"
  2. Are you getting it yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nobody wants anything communications-related from the U.S.A. anymore.

    1. Re:Are you getting it yet? by gatkinso · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What kind of fools would trust their internal government communications to a foreign company in the first place?

      --
      I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
    2. Re:Are you getting it yet? by Mashiki · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Dude, do a traceroute to slashdot or GTFO.

      Well I live in Canada, the only time my ISP(teksavvy) routes to the US now is if I'm requesting a US based address. Not even traffic going to europe or asia is routed through the US.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    3. Re:Are you getting it yet? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      The Nazis didn't outsource the creation of enigma to the Americans for a good reason.

      Because Americans are bad at math?

      --
      Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
    4. Re:Are you getting it yet? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Germany probably thought that the US were their allies . . .

      . . . fools, indeed! The US doesn't have any allies any more; just enemies. Or, at least they treat everyone as enemies.

      Hell, even the citizens of the US are treated as enemies by their own government . . .

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    5. Re:Are you getting it yet? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Just because none of the routers on the traceroute is in the US, doesn't mean the routing doesn't go THROUGH the US.
      http://cablemap.info/

  3. How many of these will it take? by kolbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    For their corporate lobbyists to actually get some movement on Capital Hill and attempt to undo this.

  4. Zimmerman telegram? by mi · · Score: 4, Informative

    The announcement comes after reports this week that Verizon and British company Colt provide Internet services to the German parliament and other official entities.

    Germany should've learned their lesson, when a telegram sent to their Ambassador in Mexico was intercepted by the British — and shared with the US-government.

    Had we not obtained that piece of intelligence, the history of the world could've been quite different...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  5. For the love of God, don't put most of your point by easyTree · · Score: 5, Funny

    in the title.

    --
    Requiem for the American Dream
  6. World Cup by JustinKSU · · Score: 5, Funny

    For a second I thought Slashdot was starting to get into sports reporting.

  7. Re:Yes. by easyTree · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, he's a traitor to his country's attempts to act dishonorably without widespread knowledge. Shame on him.

    --
    Requiem for the American Dream
  8. De-americanization has officially began by boorack · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Will be somewhat off-topic but still (somewhat) related.

    De-americanization has officially began when Russia signed gas deal with China bypassing dollar. This process started long ago but with this deal it's now official. Things seem to speed up since then. Germany Verizon thing is just another domino piece falling. Regardless of what Americans think of it, I see it as a good thing. Aside from taking (most of the) world of american hegemony, ending of US imperial project can benefit Americans themselves - granted that their (incompetent and incredibly corrupt) government manages to transition from imperial power to ordinary (but better managed) country in orderly way (that is, without inciting WW3).

    Message to fellow Americans: you're still one of the most progressive folks in the world (yet NOT the most ones), it's just your fucked up government that sucks, causes mayhem (Ukraine being the last manifestation of this) and blocks your potential. It's time to abandon your imperial/global hegemony policies - you can prosper pretty damn well in a multipolar world (much better than most of the rest). It all depends on you. BUT there are few things to do. You need to bring your fucked-up out-of-control government back in control, forget about american exceptionalism and learn to live in (competitive) multipolar world (ie. do not solve all problem using military or inciting civil wars).