> or maybe we are unusually good at keeping secrets -- really doubt it, though
France had two different services dedicated solely to internal intelligence/spying (until they got merged in 2008): the "RG"[0] (general intelligence) and the "DST"[1] (territorial surveillance directorate)
I don't think "having a service" has much meaning in this context? OP surely knows that the countries he referred to actually have intelligence services. Germany has at least two (BND and MAD) and depending on what exactly you mean more. I would say the point was to which lengths those services actually go.
France had two different services dedicated solely to internal intelligence/spying (until they got merged in 2008): the "RG"[0] (general intelligence) and the "DST"[1] (territorial surveillance directorate)
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direction_centrale_des_renseig...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direction_de_la_surveillance_d...