Germany wants to put Whistleblowers in jail

[Thanas]

Source in German

I am fucking outraged.

[Ziggy Stardust]

As much as I had fun trying to navigate a website in German (who knew that "Drucken" was "print"? I mean, besides Thanas), any chance someone can find an English version of this? I am having a hard time finding one.

[Thanas]

If I had found an english one, I would have posted it.

[Broomstick]

The translation software as usually gave a clunky result, but from what i was able to glean from the "Germlish" it looks like the government was trying to sneak in a provision to shut up whistleblowers? or was this more of a badly worded proposed law? Thanas' reaction would seem to imply the former.

Either way not good.

[Gaidin]

From what little I could tell from the translation software, there are either A) whistleblowers and Whistleblowers(same as any country, shocker), or B) follow the damn rules of whistleblowing(same as any country, shocker), or C) both.

[K. A. Pital]

Thanks for sharing this, Thanas.

And frankly, this is not surprising at all. At first, when the NSA scandal started, I thought that Germany has its moment to shine: it could give asylum to Snowden, and it could investigate the NSA-BND breaches seriously. Instead, the investigation into this wiretapping was slowly put under the rug, and now whistleblowers are at risk.

[Thanas]

The translation software as usually gave a clunky result, but from what i was able to glean from the "Germlish" it looks like the government was trying to sneak in a provision to shut up whistleblowers? or was this more of a badly worded proposed law? Thanas' reaction would seem to imply the former.

Either way not good.

If one is charitable one could claim that they were simply trying to differentiate between whistleblowing and selling secrets to the enemy. But I am not charitable when it comes to this, and considering any investigation into what our secret service is doing in partnership with the NSA quietly got buried and Snowden's leak revealed that the NSA and the BND are like best buddies forever....yeah, I don't think this is an accident.

And frankly, this is not surprising at all. At first, when the NSA scandal started, I thought that Germany has its moment to shine: it could give asylum to Snowden, and it could investigate the NSA-BND breaches seriously. Instead, the investigation into this wiretapping was slowly put under the rug, and now whistleblowers are at risk.

Any NSA investigation was done for the moment Spiegel reported that the BND gets 90% of its software/technology from the NSA and actually is a willing participant in data gathering. Because we all know Angela I likes to get her information and I strongly suspect that the BND started gathering this data as soon as our constitutional court outlawed these methods of data collection by the police.

[Irbis]

investigate the NSA-BND breaches seriously

About that - Polish press reports that on recent G7 summit Merkel was explicitly told 'no' when she asked about no mutual spying agreement USA has with its closest allies, and also informed that NSA/BND data collection on everything, not just terrorism (read - corporate and political espionage) will proceed unchecked as before. Of course, no word of protest was said, it's not like German constitution has anything in it about protection of privacy, against unlawful imprisonment or killings.

Though I guess it's actually commendable Germany still has some press willing to investigate this. In central Europe, specifically Baltics, Romania and Poland, such investigation would be pretty much equal to treason (see the above 3 countries giving CIA torture bases and reactions to it for one). If it would proceed at all, seeing most press there is either foreign owned or captured by right wingers who would excuse even fucking concentration camps in their xenophobia.

With friends like these, why is Russia even a problem, again?

[Thanas]

With friends like these, why is Russia even a problem, again?

Because they invaded Ukraine. Have you forgotten that? Nothing the USA has done to Europe is as worse as actually invading a country.

[K. A. Pital]

It does not follow that post-Soviet wars, of which there had been already quite a few, are worse than actual erosion of civil liberties inside the EU. I would say the US actions are far more damaging to the EU itself and its member nations. The EU can defend itself quite easily even without the US, its member nations include nuclear powers. But can it keep civil liberties intact with the US? Unlikely.

[Thanas]

It does not follow that post-Soviet wars, of which there had been already quite a few, are worse than actual erosion of civil liberties inside the EU.

One kills people, the other does not. I do think there is a bit of difference.