Photo Gallery Targeting Germany
The NSA cooperates closely with German intelligence. But Germany is also a target. Much of the data out of Germany comes from the Dagger Complex in the German state of Hesse.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the mass surveillance "unacceptable." US President Barack Obama has promised more transparency. But critical questions still have not been satisfactorily answered.
In early July, a resident of Griesheim named Daniel Bangert organized a "stroll" around the complex using Facebook. Before the walk could even take place, he was visited by the police. It took place anyway, with a second one soon following.
Germans are particularly sensitive to the massive surveillance undertaken by the NSA in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
On a list of surveillance priorities seen by SPIEGEL, Germany ranks number three, halfway between high-priority targets such as Iran and places of little intelligence interest such as Finland.
The new documents seen by SPIEGEL make it clear just how effective the surveillance software known as XKeyscore has been.
