However, the new initiative, prompted by Germany's recent revelation of Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone being monitored, may struggle to be more than just a marketing tactic. It may not be effective for Germans accessing foreign-hosted websites like Facebook or Google, as noted by telecom and internet experts. Additionally, Deutsche Telekom could face challenges in convincing rival broadband groups to participate due to concerns about sharing network information. Moreover, the initiative goes against the current structure of the Internet, where global traffic flows freely without regard for national boundaries. Security researcher Dan Kaminsky warns that if more countries isolate themselves online, it could lead to a problematic fragmentation of the Internet, jeopardizing its openness and efficiency that have fueled economic growth. Controls on internet traffic are more frequently observed in countries like China and Iran, where governments aim to restrict the content accessible to their citizens by creating firewalls and blocking popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Torsten Gerpott, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen specializing in business and telecommunications, noted that it is unprecedented on an international scale for the internet traffic of a developed nation to avoid passing through the servers of another country. He also mentioned that while Deutsche Telekom's efforts are commendable, they are partly driven by public relations motives. The company, which is partially owned by the government, has received support from the telecoms regulator for its initiative, which could offer customers more choices. Additionally, in August, Deutsche Telekom introduced a service called "E-mail made in Germany" that encrypts emails and directs traffic solely through its domestic servers. Government surveillance is a sensitive issue in Germany due to strict privacy laws and memories of eavesdropping by the Stasi secret police. Chancellor Merkel has called for a "no-spying" agreement with the US, but experts believe that practical changes may be limited. Telecom and Internet experts have noted that most of Germany's internet traffic already stays within the country's borders, and have raised concerns about Deutsche Telekom's payment preferences conflicting with the goal of keeping traffic within Germany. German traffic passing through London or Amsterdam may be cheaper or even free, but it also poses a risk of being intercepted by foreign spies, according to Thomas Kremer, the executive overseeing data privacy and legal matters for a German operator. To ensure national routing, the group must establish connection agreements with three additional operators. Kremer suggested that if this cannot be achieved, a legislative solution may be necessary to prevent traffic from being routed through other countries when both sender and receiver are in the Schengen area or Germany. Telefonica Germany is currently in preliminary talks with other groups about implementing national routing. A representative from Vodafone stated that they were currently considering the possibility of implementing the proposal suggested by Deutsche Telekom. Despite Deutsche Telekom's claim to be a reliable protector of user data, their history with privacy is questionable. In a scandal in 2008 known as Telekomgate, Klaus Trzeschan, a security manager at the company, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his involvement in monitoring phone conversations of the company's executives, board members, and journalists. A spokesperson for Deutsche Telekom cited this incident as the catalyst for the group's increased focus on privacy and security measures in recent years, claiming that they are now the most trusted company in the industry by customers. Data centers are crucial for online services, as they house the routers and switches that direct data traffic. While companies can program these devices to control the routes data takes, the most popular online services do not prioritize location when choosing where to build their data centers. Instead, factors such as cheap power, cool climates, and high-speed broadband networks drive these decisions. For example, a Munich resident chatting with a friend in Berlin on Facebook may have their data travel through one of the company's large data centers located thousands of kilometers away in Oregon, North Carolina, or Luleå, Sweden. European users' profiles may not be stored in the Swedish center, as different functions like games, messaging, and wall posts are distributed among data centers for efficiency. Similarly, emails between two German residents using Google's Gmail may be routed through data centers in Finland, Belgium, or Ireland. The only way to change this situation would be for Germany to mandate that websites be hosted locally, a drastic measure that has not yet been supported by German leaders. Deutsche Telekom did not confirm if they would advocate for this approach. In response to reports of U.S. spying, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is proposing legislation that would require internet companies to store data within the country. Another option would be for European leaders to strengthen a data-privacy law that has been in progress for nearly two years. The European Parliament endorsed a stricter version of the law on Monday, but it still needs approval from member states. France and Germany could potentially persuade member states to accelerate discussions in order to finalize the new data regulations by 2015. Kremer from Deutsche Telekom suggested that the new law could be beneficial by ensuring that customers are able to freely access any web services they choose while also prioritizing their safety.