The European Parliament has taken a major step against the United States' spying activities, as they voted to suspend their access to a global financial database held by a Belgian company.
This decision came after it was revealed by Globo that the US is secretly monitoring SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), a network that allows financial institutions from around the world to send and receive information about financial transactions in a "secure" environment.
However, when it was revealed that the NSA was spying on Petrobras, Google, and SWIFT, it caused a global uproar.
The European Parliament voted 280 in favour, 254 against, with 30 abstentions. MEPs are demanding full transparency, especially in the wake of the NSA revelations.
The vote figures (254 against) show how strong the US government's ties are within the European Parliament.
