Senior German politicians and officials have been ordered to use prepaid disposable mobile phones when travelling overseas because of concerns about eavesdropping.
The “burner” phones have been used not only by delegations to Russia and China but also on visits to allies such as Britain and the US, according to Der Spiegel magazine. Senior government figures have been advised by the Federal Office for Information Security to download only essential data — and to destroy the phones after each trip.
The policy was prompted in part by revelations by Edward Snowden, the former American agent, about extensive spying operations carried out by the US National Security Agency, which included eavesdropping on Angela Merkel’s calls for several years.
A German parliamentary inquiry is under way into the allegations, which have not been denied by the US and include claims that Britain assisted American spying on European allies. The US and British embassies in Berlin were alleged to have used monitoring equipment on their roofs to listen into German politicians at the Bundestag, a short distance away on the other side of the Brandenburg Gate.
One concern for Germany’s security authorities is that officials were taking a high risk when leaving phones unattended in order to hold secret talks, as this left an opportunity for spy agencies to upload surveillance software onto the handsets.
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Despite the advice, the burners have not been introduced by all cabinet ministers: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister, and Sigmar Gabriel, the vice-chancellor and economics minister, are believed to have taken their usual phones with them on their respective trips to Cuba and China recently.