While I haven't read it, yet, I see film maker and journalist Laura Poitras at the top of the article. One reason she's described in interviews for moving, is that she could not pass through U.S. border control and customs without enduring an extensive search and the likely confiscation of all her digital equipment.
Perhaps that's not directly the NSA. But it's a legitimate reason to have a home somewhere that does not constantly put you through such. And she's not the only one in such a position.
I agree with your opinion that the German government and agencies may not be the most sympathetic. A significant portion of the German public, on the other hand...
The Stasi are still a fairly fresh memory, for many.
>The Stasi are still a fairly fresh memory, for many.
Including, no doubt, for the chancellor, Angela Merkel.
"She is ... the first German Chancellor to be born after World War II, and the first post-reunification Chancellor to be raised in the former East Germany" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel]
My impression is that she was upset about her own phone, but not too much about the rest.
Also, as I recall, rumor is that behind the scenes, the German government was already clued in on much of what was going on.
And... various aspects of the German governments (Federal as well as the states, etc.) continue to be pretty aggressive about pushing spyware and otherwise insisting a unilateral "right" to do whatever they damn well please.
However, they are part of the EU. And border control is thereby not so easy to just zip up. Nor, perhaps, would the population stand for something so overt, as opposed to covert.
It's not rumors, Germany has their own full-fledged NSA-equivalent (the BND) spying on the populace cooperating with the NSA as a Tier 2 nation.
The German government was not just complicit, they were actively pushing for wider surveillance on their own citizens. Likely this is part of the motivation for the rumblings about European-based Internet services: the BND would have more negotiating leverage and power if they could directly access e.g. Facebook servers rather than having to go through the NSA.
Including, no doubt, for the chancellor, Angela Merkel.
"Concerned", perhaps yes. But not so much as to prevent her from not only joining the FDJ, but joining the local district board as well, and becoming its secretary for Agitprop:
Perhaps that's not directly the NSA. But it's a legitimate reason to have a home somewhere that does not constantly put you through such. And she's not the only one in such a position.
I agree with your opinion that the German government and agencies may not be the most sympathetic. A significant portion of the German public, on the other hand...
The Stasi are still a fairly fresh memory, for many.