German authorities sued over illegal spying allegations

Civil rights groups filed criminal complaints on the 2 February 2014 in several EU member states, accusing government officials and secret service leaders of taking part in or aiding illegal intelligence activities.

On the 16 February 2014, Deutsche Welle reported that Germany was planning to possibly resume counter-espionage measures against several Western allies. The British and US embassies could be targeted.

• Primary Source

The New York Times, 03.02.14: Hacker Group Accuses Merkel Government of Helping to Spy http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/04/world/europe/hacker-group-accuses-merkel-government-of-helping-to-spy.html

Deutsche Welle, 16.02.14: Germany is 'planning to step up counter-espionage': report http://dw.de/p/1BA1z

Spiegel Online International, 18.02.14: Striking Back: Germany Considers Counterespionage Against US http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-considers-counterespionage-measures-against-united-states-a-953985.html

EurActiv, 14.03.14: EU-funded research surveils social sites http://www.euractiv.com/infosociety/eu-automated-social-media-spying-news-534150

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