Though probably not a wholly innocent or prudent plea, patience, and not meaning license to defer problems until after federal elections, is not a bad idea in situations where in the first place the rank hypocrisy of doing what can be done elevated and uncontrollably spread the magnitude, post-haste and without regard for the consequences, the German leadership, despite accusations to the contrary and attendant dangers of being caught in a lie, is calling for public calm over the stewardship of its data.
Mounting evidence, however, is indicating, contrary to claims of ignorance or at least omission, a rather prolific partnership among the Bundes- nachrichten- dienst (BND, the Federal Intelligence Service, which is devoted to foreign intelligence gathering) and the Bundesamt fรผr Verfassungschรผtz (BfV, the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution, the domestic counterpart, whose name is a bit strange since Germany has not had a constitution in name since the days of the Weimar Republic and rather a lexicon of by-laws—nonetheless complete). The willingness, degree and mutual benefit, cognizance aside, of this collaboration is an open question and will likely remain so for some time. No one ought to be subjected with arbitrary interference to personal matters, no matter how low the common-denominator. The outrage (lack thereof) seems sort of selective.
