The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) already published a fantastic, more detailed article (in german language) to this topic, but this is important, it needs as much attention as possible. Also read the CCC article.
Germany's new government coalition of conservative (CDU/CSU) and social-democratic (SPD) parties is planning a massive expansion of surveillance. Their draft agreement shows a detailed plan for monitoring people online, in public spaces, and through biometric data. It's a full-on attack on our right to privacy and informational self-determination. Here's what they are planning:
- Data Capitalism by Force: They talk about creating a "data-sharing culture" and "data economy". What they mean: They want your data, all of it. And your right to say no? Out the window.
- State Trojans (Quellen-TKÜ): Government spyware that reads your messages before they are encrypted. Now, the federal police will be allowed to hack devices of citizens directly.
- "Hackbacks": The government wants to strike back. They call it "active cyber defense", but it's basically state-sponsored hacking.
- Mass Biometric Surveillance: They want to scrape biometric data from the open internet: faces, voices, even DNA, using AI.
- More CCTV: More video surveillance in public spaces, also with face recognition.
- License Plate Scanning: Automatic plate readers will track vehicle movements.
- Data Retention: All IP addresses and accessed port numbers will be stored: for everyone, without cause, for three months.
- Automated Pattern Search: Police and intelligence agencies will use software to search for "suspicious patterns" through giant databases, fully automated.
- Mental Health Risk Lists: People flagged as "psychologically abnormal" could end up in cross-agency risk databases. CDU even said it openly: „a register for the mentally ill".
- Less Oversight: Intelligence agencies will share even more data with even less control, so the risk of the data being misused grows rapidly.
If you are fine with this, you have stopped caring about freedom and privacy. This is not digital progress, it is digital dictatorship. They are building a surveillance state with industrial efficiency and are trying to sell it as modernization.
SPD members still have a chance to pull the emergency brake and stop the destruction of fundamental rights.
You can take a look at the draft coalition agreement here.