Hans-Georg Maaßen

Hans-Georg Maaßen

Hans-Georg Maaßen (born November 24, 1962 in Mönchengladbach) is a German civil servant and lawyer. Since August 1, 2012, he has been serving as the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic security agency.[1]

Biography

Hans-Georg Maaßen was born on November 24, 1962 in Mönchengladbach. In 1991, he began working at Germany's Interior Ministry. On July 18, 2012, Maaßen was appointed by the Cabinet of Germany to take over from Heinz Fromm as President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. [2] Several months later, he was sworn in to his current post.[3]

Controversy

2013 mass surveillance disclosures

During the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures, German media reported that Maaßen visited the headquarters of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) in January and May. According to classified documents of the German government, Maaßen had agreed to transfer all data collected by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution via XKeyscore to the NSA.[4]

Snowden question

In June 2016, he questioned whether Edward Snowden was working for Russian intelligence, and Snowden sent a laconic response in perfect German.[5] Cooperation with the FSB had also been suggested by Oleg Kalugin, at least since Snowden's arrival in Russia.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Dr. Maaßen wird zum 1. August Präsident des BfV" [Dr. Maaßen will be President of the BfV from 1 August] (Press release) (in German). Berlin, German: Bundesministerium des Innern (BMI). 18 July 2012. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  2. ↑ "Neuer Präsident für das Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz" (in German). Federal Ministry of the Interior. 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  3. ↑ Jenna Günnewig (2012-11-15). "Terrorabwehrzentrum in Köln eröffnet". Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  4. ↑ "Verfassungsschutz beliefert NSA" (in German). Süddeutsche Zeitung. Retrieved 14 September 2013. Die Zusammenarbeit des Verfassungsschutzes mit der NSA könnte künftig sogar noch ausgeweitet werden. Seit Juli 2013 testet der Verfassungsschutz die Späh- und Analysesoftware XKeyscore. Sollte der Geheimdienst das Programm im Regelbetrieb nutzen, hat sich das BfV verpflichtet, alle Erkenntnisse mit der NSA zu teilen. Das hatte der Präsident des Bundesamtes, Hans-Georg Maaßen, dem US-Dienst zugesichert. Im Januar und Mai war Maaßen zu Besuchen bei der NSA.
  5. ↑ "German Constitutional Protection: Snowden could be Russian spy (German)". June 10, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Former KGB general: Snowden is cooperating with Russian intelligence". May 22, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
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