Editing Federal Intelligence Service (section)

== Signals intelligence ==
[[File:Radomes of Bad Aibling Station 1.jpg|thumb|Radome of ''Fernmeldeverkehrstelle des Bundesnachrichtendiensts'' (BND-code name: Hortensien III, short: 3D30) at summer 2006. Till 2004 the system at [[Bad Aibling Station]] was part of the NSA [[ECHELON]]-Network.<ref>[https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/bnd-die-ueberwachungsfabrik-1.2460526 ''Die Überwachungsfabrik''], SZ.de, retrieved 3 May 2015 und Printausgabe [[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] 2/3 May 2015, S. 6.</ref>]]

BND is responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes with content of German interest. The department ''Technische Aufklärung'' (''TA'') is the most significant unit within BND and has the highest number of employees. The department is located at the former BND HQ in [[Pullach]], Bavaria. One of the major [[Signals intelligence|SIGINT]] stations after WW2 was [[Bad Aibling Station]], which was operated for decades in cooperation with the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-06-03 |title=Bad Aibling: Bundesnachrichtendienst enttarnt eigene Abhörstation |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/bad-aibling-bundesnachrichtendienst-enttarnt-eigene-abhoerstation-a-973134.html |access-date=2023-07-06 |issn=2195-1349}}</ref> Furthermore, Station Gablingen, Station Husum, [[Rheinhausen (Breisgau)|Station Rheinhausen]], [[Schöningen|Station Schöningen]], Station [[Starnberg|Starnberg-Söcking]] and [[Stockdorf|Station Stockdorf]].

BND is not operating own satellites but using reconnaissance satellites of [[Bundeswehr]] (SARAH-system), of foreign partners or commercial providers. The first own BND-satellite project started in 2016. The systems are built by [[OHB]] and should have been in service since 2022. After research by German public media the start was delayed and BND will probably not be able to launch satellites into space until 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flade |first=Manuel Bewarder, Florian |title=BND muss auf eigenen Satelliten warten |url=https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/bnd-satellit-100.html |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=tagesschau.de |language=de}}</ref>

=== Internet interception ===
BND is intercepting the data traffic of [[DE-CIX]] in Frankfurt, European largest hub for internet traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Golem.de: IT-News für Profis |url=https://www.golem.de/sonstiges/zustimmung/auswahl.html?from=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.golem.de%2Fnews%2Fde-cix-bnd-kann-1-2-billionen-verbindungen-pro-tag-abzweigen-2005-148515.html |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=www.golem.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=LTO |title=Bird & Bird: DE-CIX klagt gegen den Bund |url=https://www.lto.de/recht/kanzleien-unternehmen/k/bird-bird-klage-bundesverwaltungsgericht-bnd-telekommunikationsrecht |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Legal Tribune Online |language=de}}</ref>

Details are available today on how the BND and NSA worked together between 2004 and 2008. In Frankfurt, Internet data was captured by filters and sent via a [[Deutsche Telekom|Deutsche Telekom line]] to the BND headquarters in Pullach and from there to the Bad Aibling station, where the NSA and BND have a joint headquarters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beckedahl |first=Markus |date=2014-10-04 |title=Eikonal: Der kalkulierte Grundrechtsbruch der Bundesregierung – Wie der BND der NSA Zugang zum Internetknoten DE-CIX schenkte |url=https://netzpolitik.org/2014/eikonal-wie-der-bnd-der-nsa-zugang-zum-internetknoten-de-cix-schenkte/ |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=netzpolitik.org |language=de}}</ref>