Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency leaker, spent
his early childhood in the 1980s and early 1990s in Elizabeth City in
northeastern North Carolina, where both his parents grew up. No one in
Elizabeth City could have imagined that young Snowden, who was born in
1983, someday would be well-known on the other side of the world.
But he is, as I and a group of U.S. journalists discovered last week while traveling across Germany. Snowden, a former NSA contractor, last year leaked information that showed the NSA had eavesdropped on Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone calls.
Germans know all about Snowden, who is ensconced in Russia. Germans were --- and are --- outraged that the U.S. was spying on their chancellor. That anger permeates their culture and sometimes comes with a sharp sense of humor. The German rapper MoTrip sings, " Good morning, NSA, have you already checked my Facebook account today? ... Today I'm naked but you know it already."
Snowden's revelations were big news in the U.S. last summer, but that news has faded. Not in Europe. The Bundestag, Germany's Parliament, has formed a committee to investigate Snowden's leaks. Some want Snowden to travel to Berlin to testify. The committee's work began in earnest last week, driving public interest in Snowden even higher.
"A year ago, topics such as mass surveillance, encryption and cybersecurity used to be discussed by geeks only," committee member Christian Flisek said by email. "Today, the average German Internet user is afraid of being affected by mass surveillance."
Read more: OPINION: Drescher: Who owns your personal data? | Region | The State
But he is, as I and a group of U.S. journalists discovered last week while traveling across Germany. Snowden, a former NSA contractor, last year leaked information that showed the NSA had eavesdropped on Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone calls.
Germans know all about Snowden, who is ensconced in Russia. Germans were --- and are --- outraged that the U.S. was spying on their chancellor. That anger permeates their culture and sometimes comes with a sharp sense of humor. The German rapper MoTrip sings, " Good morning, NSA, have you already checked my Facebook account today? ... Today I'm naked but you know it already."
Snowden's revelations were big news in the U.S. last summer, but that news has faded. Not in Europe. The Bundestag, Germany's Parliament, has formed a committee to investigate Snowden's leaks. Some want Snowden to travel to Berlin to testify. The committee's work began in earnest last week, driving public interest in Snowden even higher.
"A year ago, topics such as mass surveillance, encryption and cybersecurity used to be discussed by geeks only," committee member Christian Flisek said by email. "Today, the average German Internet user is afraid of being affected by mass surveillance."
Read more: OPINION: Drescher: Who owns your personal data? | Region | The State
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