In principle, of course, one should always assume that foreign intelligence services attempt to listen in on other governments’ conversations. But it makes a big difference whether such activities are conducted by Russia or China, or by an ally that repeatedly emphasizes the importance of close transatlantic friendship and cooperation.
2009—2011年间，我在默克尔政府供职，必须承认，在此期间我对移动通信的使用并不太当心。当然，从原则上说，你应该时刻假定外国情报机构试图窃听他国政府的对话。但这样的行为来自俄罗斯和中国，还是来自一再强调跨大西洋紧密友好和合作关系的盟友，其中的差别是巨大的。