BERLIN
German intelligence agencies monitored thousands of phone calls, emails and text messages in 2012.
The German "Bild" newspaper wrote on the report of the Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr) that German intelligence agencies BND, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), and the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) monitored 850,000 emails, phone calls and text messages.
The committee's report noticed that the German intelligence agencies found 634 specific cases of suspected terrorism, illegal arms deals or smuggling. They also obtained information about refugees illegally sneaked into the country.
Meanwhile, the report indicates that 2.9 million emails, phone calls and text messages were monitored in 2011 and 37 million in 2010, with the decrease stemming from a more focused search based on keywords.
