NSA had ‘particular interest’ in Dutch internet traffic

3d abstract tunnelAn Austrian green party politician is claiming the American secret service NSA had a particular interest in the Netherlands and that it was top of a NSA priority list.

Peter Pilz said on Monday he planned to take legal action against Deutsche Telekom for tapping internet connections in Austria and the Netherlands on the NSA’s behalf. He claims to have the list showing the NSA’s priorities in his possession.

On Tuesday Pilz held a news conference to give further details about his claims and the networks which he says the Americans were listening in to. This, he says, includes internet connections running from Amsterdam to Luxemburg and includes the massive De-Cix internet hub in Frankfurt.

Dutch home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk said on Tuesday afternoon he would ask the Dutch security services to look into the claims. It would be ‘unacceptable’ for a foreign power to listen in to Dutch internet traffic, the minister is quoted as saying by the Volkskrant.

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