EU Parliament to investigate US surveillance programs

The European Parliament on Thursday voted to conduct an “in-depth inquiry” into U.S. surveillance programs, including the reported bugging of European Union (EU) offices.

{mosads}A resolution, passed 483 to 98, expresses concern over the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Internet monitoring and other programs.

The NSA’s PRISM program reportedly gives the government access to the contents of users’ emails, video chats, photographs and other information.

Parliament members also condemned spying on EU representatives and called on the U.S. to provide full information on the allegations.

The U.S. bugged EU embassies and hacked into internal computer networks, according to a report in a German magazine last month, a latest disclosure from NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

Surveillance programs run by the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland are also targeted, with members urging officials in those nations to examine whether the programs are compatible with EU law.

Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee will assess the impact of the alleged surveillance activities on EU citizens’ rights and present the results by the end of the year.

Members also urged the suspension of U.S. access to air passenger and bank data and stressed the need to protect whistleblowers.