The disclosures of the NSA’s surveillance activities last summer have undermined the trust that has been built in German-American relations over decades. The growing indignation culminated with the revelation that the NSA had even monitored Chancellor Merkel’s cell phone for years. The reactions to the question of how to balance freedom and security were very different on the two sides of the Atlantic: Edward Snowden is seen by many Germans as a whistleblower whose revelations served the public interest, while many Americans regard him as a traitor who put the safety of his country at risk.