Germany’s BND spied on major media: Report

A report by a German news weekly suggests that the country’s foreign intelligence service has long spied on global media’s journalists.

Der Spiegel reported that BND had listed at least 50 telephone and fax numbers and email addresses of journalists or newsrooms on its list for surveillance since 1999. The list includes journalists from BBC, The New York Times, and Reuters. According to the magazine, it is unknown if the surveillance is still ongoing or not. The list is believed to have covered only part of the Federal Intelligence Service's international media targets at the time. Media rights group, Reporters Without Borders, labeled the alleged surveillance a monstrous attack on press freedom. The group says it is planning legal action.