European Commissioner says the Snowden leaks are a wake-up call

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes has called for individuals and businesses to have more control and awareness of data privacy and security measures, referring to Edward Snowden’s revelations about wide scale NSA and GCHQ snooping as “a wake-up call”. Kroes made the comments during a speech at CeBIT 2014 today in Hannover, noting that it’s particularly important to try and rebuild the trust damaged by the disclosure of the spying activity.

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes said that Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA spying should serve as a wake-up call that there is a new reality that includes cyber spying and cyber warfare. “Ask not ‘Why do people spy on me?’” Kroes said on Monday, speaking on a panel at the CeBit Global Conference. “Ask ‘How did they succeed?’ That is the question.” Spying, Kroes noted, is nothing new. She called it the “second-oldest profession” and noted that it actually often goes hand in hand with the oldest one. Rather, she said, it is time to deal with a world where spying happens, but to offer sensible policies and protect those most vulnerable.