Germany has opted not to renew its government contract with Verizon, citing concerns over NSA spying. The contract will expire in 2015, and the move marks a rare concrete step from Berlin. The move follows the October 2013 revelations that the NSA was spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel. In February, German media reported the NSA had moved to bugging German ministries instead of the chancellor herself. For decades, Germany has had much stricter privacy and data protection laws than the U.S., including stricter privacy laws.”]