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NSA scandal protest

Chiponda ChimbeluJuly 17, 2013

A German who posted a Facebook event calling for an afternoon walk to the US Dagger Complex to "observe NSA spies in action" ended up being spied on himself. The event and the response from authorities has gone viral.

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The Dagger Complex in Griesheim, Germany was the site of a protest walk.Image: picture-alliance/dpa

On Saturday, July 13, Daniel Bangert planned to lead a group of friends and like-minded privacy activists on a walk through the small town of Griesheim to the nearby military base known as the Dagger Complex. The compound is thought to be a hub for NSA-run data surveillance and Bangert wanted to protest the espionage. In the end Bangert himself became a victim of spying as his facebook event attracted the attention and a surprise visit by security authorities and the German police.

Deutsche Welle found out about the story after the event was over. But here's a review of the developments and German society and the media responded. The story is indicative of the atmosphere here in Germany at the moment, where the topic of digital surveillance has turned into a campaign issue during an otherwise apolitical summer.

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An undated handout image by the National Security Agency (NSA) shows the NSA logo in front of the National Security Agency's headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, USA. According to media reports, a secret intelligence program called 'Prism' run by the US Government's National Security Agency has been collecting data from millions of communication service subscribers through access to many of the top US Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Apple and Verizon. Reports in the Washington Post and The Guardian state US intelligence services tapped directly in to the servers of these companies and five others to extract emails, voice calls, videos, photos and other information from their customers without the need for a warrant. (Foto: picture alliance/dpa) / Eingestellt von wa

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