IP: German armed forces ban MS software, citing NSA snooping

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

>From: "the terminal of Geoff Goodfellow" <geoff@iconia.com>
>To: "Dave E-mail Pamphleteer Farber" <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
>Subject: German armed forces ban MS software, citing NSA snooping
>Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 11:02:37 -0800
>
>
>German armed forces ban MS software, citing NSA snooping
>By: John Lettice
>The Register
>Posted: 17/03/2001 at 18:59 GMT
>
>The German foreign office and Bundeswehr are pulling the plugs on Microsoft
>software, citing security concerns, according to the German news magazine
>Der Spiegel. Spiegel claims that German security authorities suspect that
>the US National Security Agency (NSA) has 'back door' access to Microsoft
>source code, and can therefore easily read the Federal Republic's deepest
>secrets.
>
>The Bundeswehr will no longer use American software (we surmise this
>includes Larry and Scott as well) on computers used in sensitive areas. The
>German foreign office has meanwhile put plans for videoconferencing with its
>overseas embassies on hold, for similar reasons. Under secretary of state
>Gunter Pleuger is said by Spiegel to have discovered that "for technical
>reasons" the satellite service that was to be used was routed via Denver,
>Colorado.
>
>According to a colleague of Pleuger's this meant that the German foreign
>services "might as well hold our conferences directly in Langley." We're not
>entirely sure whose interesting video conferencing via satellite service has
>a vital groundstation in Denver, but we note that Pleuger seems to have
>gleaned this information from a presentation held earlier this month in
>Berlin by, er, Deutsche Telekom.
>
>Which just happens, along with Siemens, to have picked up the gig. The two
>companies have supplanted Microsoft (and anything else American) and will be
>producing a secure, home-grown system that the German military can be
>confident in.
>
>http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/17679.html
>
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>geoff.goodfellow@iconia.com, Prague CZ * tel/mobil +420 (0)603 706 558
>"success is getting what you want & happiness is wanting what you get"
>http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/01/biztech/articles/17drop.html



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