German government pushes sweeping surveillance powers for BND and domestic intelligence

One outlet coalition intends to transform the BND and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution into fully empowered intelligence agencies, granting them abilities to hack, sabotage and conduct device searches on suspected individuals. The draft also allows unrestricted access to all surveillance cameras across Germany, including private installations, and mandates the use of AI to scour the internet for photos that can be cross-checked with social-media profiles.

While the legislation does not explicitly mention buying illicit data harvested by advertising trackers, the omission could give agencies broad discretion. In parallel, a new federal police law would permit cellphone triangulation, monitoring of messenger services and live facial-recognition at railway stations. The government argues that heightened threats from extremism, terrorism and Russian hybrid tactics demand these tools, citing recent attacks on the power grid and a suspected Russian drone strike.

Opposition figures such as Clara Bünger and Konstantin von Notz criticize the reforms as overreach that could empower the AfD and erode civil liberties. Additionally, the G10 commission that previously approved surveillance requests will be abolished, with oversight transferred to the Independent Control Council.