It's not clear just what kind of surveillance is taking place. While the mapping is a concern by itself, it's not certain that the NSA is actively tracking everyone's devices. When Britain's GCHQ infiltrated German satellite companies like Stellar, for example, it was interested in watching particular suspects rather than everyone on the network. Even if your average person off the street isn't a target, though, the discovery could put the NSA into hot water once again. Netcologne's regional status suggests that the intrusion came from within Germany, which would violate national law -- in other words, the US isn't about to improve its souring relations with der Deutschland any time soon.

[Image credit: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images]