German Government Agencies Say No Microsoft Software Security Concerns May Be Reason Byron Alley
March 19th, 2001 - Two German government agencies have announced that they will discontinue the use of software made by Microsoft and other American companies. According to the German news publication Der Spiegel, both the German foreign office and the Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces) have banned American software, saying that there are security concerns in using programs developed by other countries in sensitive applications. Instead, German companies such as Siemens and Deutsche Telekom will provide solutions.
The decision was fueled by suspicions that the NSA (American National Security Agency) has put back doors in Microsoft's software, as well as the discovery that the German foreign office's videoconferences were to be routed through a station in Denver, Colorado. In the past, accusations of NSA back doors in Microsoft software have been shown to be unfounded. However, with the back door discovered in April 2000 and the daunting reputation of the NSA, it is unlikely that these rumours will stop.
