Germany Limits Cooperation With US Over Data Gathering

Germany has curbed its cooperation with United States intelligence, pushing back against a key ally amid new revelations of spying on Germans and other Europeans that have set off a domestic firestorm.

Exactly how the Germans will restrict their cooperation, and the scope of any limitations, is unclear. The decision, reached in secret, was not publicly announced, but was confirmed by sources in Berlin who spoke on the condition they not be identified because of the sensitive security issues. The decision to limit Germany’s collection of information as part of joint intelligence efforts signals a breach in a long and close relationship -- one that until now had been protected by Chancellor Angela Merkel, even when documents revealed in 2013 that American surveillance in Europe was so extensive it had swept up her cellphone number. For the United States, it is another blow to its intelligence apparatus.