Germany: New surveillance laws raise privacy concerns

The new federal police law allows the interception of communications of "persons against whom no suspicion of a crime has yet been established and therefore no criminal proceedings may be ordered"

The German parliament amended two laws on 10 JUNE, giving extended oversight powers to the federal police and intelligence services.

They allow the use of spyware to attack phones and computers, bypassing the encryption used by messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal.

This has raised concerns in Germany about the right to privacy.

The new federal police law allows the interception of communications of "persons against whom no suspicion of a crime has yet been established and therefore no criminal proceedings may be ordered".

Human Rights Watch (HRW) together with the United Nations have reacted, emphasizing the importance of encryption and anonymity for data protection and the right to privacy.

"This fails to provide the necessary protection against unjustified and arbitrary intrusion into people's privacy., required by international law ”, writes HRW.

meanwhile, the German government argues that new legislation is needed to keep up with technological developments. She claims the new powers will help federal police stop human trafficking and undocumented migration.

But while some branches of the German police force and intelligence are facing accusations of infiltration by right-wing extremists, privacy concerns are increasingly sensitive.

Since 2018 the content of some racist groups among officers has been made public. This prompted the state of Hesse to disband one of its most elite special units.

from 2018 onwards, Private addresses of anti-racist public figures were obtained from Hesse police computers resulting in direct threats from right-wing groups.

In year 2008, German Constitutional Court cracks down on spyware use defines "right to ensure confidentiality and integrity of information technology systems".

But new government measures push the boundaries of oversight. A law of the year 2017 that enhances the oversight power of another intelligence agency is currently under review by the Constitutional Court.

Human Rights Watch writes that “by abusing security vulnerabilities in devices to install spyware, qeveria e Gjermanisë e bën komunikimin digjital më pak të sigurt – dhe më të prekshëm ndaj sulmeve”. /albinfo