The new German surveillance state - Merkel, Snowden and the Euro Hawk drone

In the summer of 2013, three scandals have shone a new spotlight on the role of the German state in both domestic and international surveillance. The first was the case of the American National Security Agency (NSA) spying on the mobile phones of millions of German citizens. The NSA spying scandal exposed the messy state of Germany’s domestic security/privacy issues. The second summer debacle - the Euro Hawk drone scandal - revolved around the use of surveillance technology to ensure the external security of the German state. The third scandal took place in the fall - revelations about the spying of Merkel’s personal mobile phone brought once again the issues of security, consent and dignity to the forefront of public discussion.