[mseebach]

Denmark is also considering it.

Yes, there's a difference, but it's still very wrong.

We're talking about governments buying illegally obtained information, thus sanctioning the crime. How is this different from the government not being allowed to wire-tap its citizens, but if they go on the black market and get a black-hat to do it, it's suddenly OK? The only reason is the presence of an international border.

[schwit]

Illegal by whose standards?

How the information was obtained outside of Germany may be a crime, but not in Germany.

As a citizen of Germany you are required to provide to the German government information that determines taxes owed. Any attempt to evade this obligation is a crime in Germany.

In this case Germany has a right to the information.

[mseebach]

> Illegal by whose standards?

The law of any country anyone would consider civilized. Including Germany, Denmark, Lichtenstein and Switzerland.

> In this case Germany has a right to the information.

Well, states don't have rights. Their citizens are required to hand over the information, and the government is entitled to punish citizens that fail to do so. But that's a minor point -- Yes, Germany is entitled to that information, but they don't have a right to break the law of another country to get that information. What happened to Lichtensteins right to sovereignty?

And what if it wasn't tax information, but information on ethnicity? Seriously, information about citizens that one government "has a right to", that another government doesn't mind helping you conceal. Not to bash Germany in particular, but we have privacy laws for a reason.

I'm not a fan of tax-evasion, but tax collection is not, in itself, such a holy venture that it warrants any means.

[danik]

Governments does not really need to care for other governments laws, that's the difference. So it's neither illegal or a crime as long as a foreign government is concerned.

And yes, governments and borders go hand in hand.