Even before the latest allegations, the EU’s Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding wrote to US attorney general Eric Holder earlier this month calling for answers about its Internet spy programme.
“Fundamentally, this is a question of trust,” Reding said in a June 14 speech. “Trust of citizens towards their governments and to the governments of partner nations.”
The top-secret PRISM programme collects and analyses information from Internet and phone users around the world, with access to data from Google, Yahoo! and other Internet firms.
US officials say the information gathered is vital in the fight against global terrorism.
The diplomatic squabbling over the fate of Snowden continued, meanwhile.
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa said that US Vice President Joe Biden had, in a telephone conversation Saturday, asked Quito to reject any asylum request from Snowden.
But in a television interview later, Correa said Snowden’s fate was in Russia’s hands as Quito could not process Snowden’s asylum until he was on Ecuadoran soil.
The president said his government would listen to opinions from US authorities, but that the final decision rested with Ecuador.
Snowden, a former NSA contractor, has had his US passport revoked.
“We have not sought out this situation,” said Correa.
“Snowden is in contact with (WikiLeaks founder Julian) Assange, who recommended he seek asylum in Ecuador,” he added.
Ecuador has already granted refuge to Australian activist Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy WikiLeaks website.
Assange, who is wanted for questioning in Sweden on sex assault allegations, took refuge at the Ecuadoran embassy in London a year ago to avoid Britain putting him on a plane to Stockholm.
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