German NSA Investigation Committee Considers Typewriters Out of Data Leak Concerns As Sales Rise

BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 22: A repaired vintage Olympia typewriter sits waiting for customer pick-up on July 22, 2014 at the Arndt Hans Joachim Bueromaschinen office supply store in Berlin, Germany. Patrick Sensburg, the head of the German inquiry into the United States National Security Agency (NSA) spying scandal in which the U.S. agency is accused of having eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, told reporters that the investigation committee is considering using old-fashioned, non-electronic typewriters when producing sensitive documents in order to avoid leaks in the ongoing affair. The Russian government reportedly used such machines to protect information when news of the spying originally broke, and a spokesman for typewriter manufacturer Olympia said that the company expects to sell more typewriters this year than at any time in the past two decades, expecting its sales to double in 2014 over those of the previous year. The German defense contractor Diehl claims to already use the mechanical machines for sensitive matters. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)