Germany withdrew its investigation into whether the National Security Agency tapped the phones of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Chief prosecutor Harald Range dropped the legal probe into the NSA’s actions due to insufficient evidence and lack of the U.S. government’s cooperation.
The 2013 NSA document leaks from Edward Snowden revealed the NSA spied on international leaders’ communications, but the German probe strained its relationship with the United States, which didn’t deny the allegations.
Upon initiating the investigation last year, Range said the Snowden documents contained solid proof of the NSA’s misdeeds in tapping Merkel’s phone. That turned out not to be the case.
“[V]ague remarks from US officials about US intelligence surveillance of the chancellor’s cellphone — i.e. ‘not any more’ — are insufficient evidence,” Range said in a German-language statement, possibly referring to past White House remark on the matter.
The investigation began to falter in late 2014, when Range reported the NSA’s lack of cooperation in providing additional records.
European regulators have taken the Snowden revelations seriously, launching multiple investigations and taking legal action against not only the U.S. government but American tech companies that were used in the NSA’s surveillance programs.
Last year, Germany announced plans to end its contract with U.S. wireless carrier Verizon because of its legal requirements to oblige NSA data information requests.
The European Union’s high court, Court of Justice of the European Union, began hearing a case in March against Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and Yahoo, which accused the companies of violating Europeans privacy by providing private data to the NSA.
During opening arguments, the court admitted that current law regarding transatlantic data transfers didn’t protect citizens from foreign spying; to which the European Commission’s lead attorney Bernhard Schima said, “You might consider closing your Facebook account if you have one.”
The outcome of the case could have serious repercussions for U.S.-European Union relations and may determine whether American tech companies can operate overseas. If the court rules against Facebook, it could mean any company that gave the NSA backdoor access through its controversial PRISM program must adhere stricter privacy protections such as getting users’ permission before collection or storing personal data and storing users’ data on European soil, an option Facebook has already said was unacceptable.