After the German parliament reportedly disclosed that the nation's electronic surveillance agency BND was aiding U.S.' National Security Agency (NSA) in spying on European politicians and defense contractors for over a decade, Germany's top public prosecutor has initiated a probe to determine if the country's partnership with NSA was violating any laws.
A spokesperson from the prosecutor's office said that a "preliminary investigation" into the matter had already begun, reported The Verge.
The BND provided sensitive data to the NSA including, communications between several German and French politicians, as well as defense contractors like Airbus, European Aeronautic Defense, and Space Company.
In response to a review of the agreement, the German parliament said that it intended to limit the selector terms used by the NSA in data collection, which would be a small, but would be a "noticeable move" towards curbing NSA's overreach.
The disclosures follow years of distrust and disagreements over NSA surveillance between the U.S. and Germany. In 2013, it was revealed that the NSA had been monitoring German chancellor Angela Merkel's phone for at least a decade.
