Security Package: Coalition Supports Biometric Surveillance and Big Data Analysis
The coalition has reached an agreement on amendments to the government’s draft for a security package. The focus is primarily on establishing clearer guidelines.
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
Following the fatal knife attack in Solingen in August, the German government is moving forward with its proposed security package, albeit with some limitations on surveillance rights. According to Konstantin von Notz, Vice President of the Green Party faction, the new legislation ensures that biometric comparisons using online data cannot target individuals deemed non-threatening. The agreement maintains the executive's proposed authority for biometric checks using publicly available internet data, such as facial recognition, to help law enforcement identify suspects or wanted persons. Witnesses and victims without a compelling interest are now excluded from this scrutiny. Furthermore, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the Federal Police, and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) can only collaborate with data providers based in the Schengen Area or the EU, preventing data transfer to countries with weaker protection standards.
The government had also sought to allow the automated analysis of police data using AI, enabling the consolidation and automated searching of numerous police databases. However, concerns arose about the potential erosion of the presumption of innocence, leading the coalition to restrict these new powers to serious crimes such as murder, serious robbery, or terrorism. The government must outline the constitutionally and EU-compliant use of these new powers through a legal regulation, involving the Federal Data Protection Officer Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider. The oversight rights of regulatory authorities over the systems employed have also been enhanced. Overall, the Green Party has managed to achieve several significant amendments that enhance the applicability and effectiveness of many regulations.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser remains confident that, despite these changes, the package is the appropriate response to the current threats, particularly from Islamist terrorism. Liberal representative Konstantin Kuhle described the adjustments as a moderate expansion of police powers that respects fundamental rights. The specific amendment proposals are still being finalized but are expected to move quickly through the parliamentary committees and plenary sessions. However, experts previously expressed skepticism about the original proposals, cautioning against hastily implemented powers that could infringe on civil rights. Organizations like the Chaos Computer Club have voiced strong opposition to the planned "biometric surveillance."