The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) periodically intercepted Barack Obama's conversations from aboard Air Force One, the operation being stopped in 2014.

An investigation conducted by the German publication Die Zeit revealed that the BND carried out a surveillance operation on former American President Barack Obama, periodically intercepting phone conversations aboard Air Force One. The surveillance was made possible due to the vulnerability of the aircraft's communication encryption, and technicians used frequencies known to the BND. Although the operation was extremely sensitive, the BND did not request authorization to surveil Obama, and the Chancellery ordered its cessation in 2014, without informing Angela Merkel. This situation was considered problematic, especially in the context of the criticisms directed at the NSA for spying on Merkel's mobile phone.