All these passionate reports refer to the hyped Der Spiegel piece, slathered with additional hype, padded with dated filler, mused wanderings across the Snowden veldt. The key document that has set techies pushing "credible evidence" appears to be a two-page outline released by Le Monde titled "Close Access Sigads" which lists a batch of techie-like techniques used to intercept comms. http://cryptome.org/2013/10/nsa-close-access-sigads.pdf There has been discussion of these tricks around tech circles due to the sparsity of technical information in most of the Snowden releases in favor of generalities beloved tech-illiterate journalists and their readers. It is likely some techies fed tips and luridities to the German spies (most of whom are also tech-illiterate and must rely on tech-aware recruits and contractors who are treated with disdain by old HUMINT-seasoned salts). Given a bit of goose by the techie informants, the German spies saw a great way to boost their tech budget, and leaped into action. Same as in the US adminstration and Congress and their kind around the world. Devilish comsec techies are nothing if not opportunistic, MIT and Silicon Valley born and bred, and pray nightly many Mannings and Snowdens will continue to valorize their career of code and hack hoakum. Mea culpa maxima. Have you seen our media campaign? At 07:48 PM 10/23/2013, you wrote:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/23/us-monitored-angela-merkel-germ an