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Germany signs no-spy deal with BlackBerry

Germany has approved BlackBerry's purchase of encryption firm Secusmart after signing a "no-spy" agreement with the Canadian smartphone maker.

Duesseldorf-based Secusmart provides special smartphones to German government officials that are meant to be safe from eavesdropping.

German media report that BlackBerry has agreed to provide Germany with access to software source codes.

Public broadcasters NDR and WDR, and daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung, also report that BlackBerry has provided Germany with assurances that it isn't required to pass any confidential data to other governments.

Interior Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth declined to publicly comment on a confidential agreement but said "we have succeeded in protecting our security interests."

Germany reacted with anger last year to reports, based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, that the NSA had targeted Chancellor Angela Merkel's cell phone.