The Greens and FDP parliamentary groups have criticized Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s (SPD) plans to give the security authorities additional powers in cyberspace. “More and more powers of intervention for the security authorities do not necessarily lead to more security, but grind on civil rights,” said Stephan Thomae (FDP) on Wednesday of the German Press Agency. After all, the SPD, FDP and Greens had “clearly agreed on a paradigm shift in security policy” in their coalition agreement.
The Greens chairman in the interior committee, Marcel Emmerich, also emphasized that the coalition agreement was “crystal clear” on these issues. He told the dpa: “More monitoring doesn’t solve any problems, but mostly occupies the courts”. Emmerich demanded: “We should concentrate much more on measures that ultimately create more security, such as strengthening our IT infrastructure and better staffing and technical equipment for the security authorities.”
In view of the increased threat of cyber attacks, Faeser has shown himself open to extending the powers of the security authorities. “The world has changed, so you have to adapt the corresponding powers of intervention,” she said on Tuesday evening at a reception hosted by the Federal Intelligence Service, the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Federal Police.
“The storage of data with which we can identify perpetrators is absolutely necessary,” Faeser also told the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. In order to prevent the spread of depictions of sexual abuse of children, “maximum investigative pressure is needed, no perpetrator should feel safe”.
A decision by the European Court of Justice on the German regulation of data retention is expected on September 20th. It has been on hold since 2017. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) wants to use the so-called quick freeze procedure instead of data retention. Internet providers are only asked to store data on individual participants for a certain period of time if there is initial suspicion.
The coalition agreement of the Ampel government states, among other things: “The interventions by the state in civil liberties must always be well justified and their overall effect must be considered.” verified as part of the monitoring accounts.”
