Bettina Geck, the data protection officer of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), has clearly positioned herself against the red-green state government’s plans for tougher security measures following the knife attacks in Solingen in the summer. “It’s certainly possible access to private video surveillance systems by the Office to Protect the Constitution that alarms me,” Gack said. “Our Constitution guarantees that we can develop freely in this society without anyone noticing. If I doubt that the Federal Office to Protect the Constitution is watching behind every private camera, then in my opinion it is no longer compatible with mothers and the father of the Basic Law wanted to protect us from this.”
Advertisement
a big question mark The head of the supervisory authority also supports the use of artificial intelligence implemented by the red-green alliance (AI) For example for biometric facial recognition. “This is a measure that will affect everyone whose photos are circulating on the Internet,” Geck said. Such a device would also “significantly” impact our personal freedom. There is no apparent hit rate with automatic facial recognition. Therefore, people who closely resemble the wanted person can easily come to the attention of security officials. The main danger here is that “it becomes easy to assume everyone’s behavior online – even if there are no allegations against them.” The free development of one’s personality online will be massively diminished.
nrw government Launched its “security package” in SeptemberIn doing so, it grants the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution access to the video surveillance systems of local transportation companies, for example, and the use of facial recognition software on the Internet. Furthermore, police should be allowed to roam digitally on social media using AI as “virtual investigators”. According to the plan, the country’s secret service is also allowed to use state Trojans to source TKÜ. Reason: “Relevant people often use messenger services by deliberately exploiting complex communications encryption for the purpose of plotting, preparing, and carrying out attacks.” Furthermore, the NRW wants to launch a Federal Council initiative to reintroduce data retention and allow cell phone grid searches using radio cell queries, for example in the event of dangerous physical damage.
Public transport and game studios potentially under the radar of agents
Geck has identified “several problematic issues” in the project. For example, access by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to cameras on local public transport would affect millions of people every day who had no reason for security authorities to take action. This greatly limits the rights of citizens to protect their personal data. The inspector explains, “If I accidentally sit next to someone who is under surveillance, will I be targeted by the Constitution Protection Office?” “What if I train in the same gym and maybe even have the same training times?” Even monitoring of lockers at the site using electronic eyes by agents cannot be ruled out.
Geck urged caution about government pressure to re-log connection data such as IP addresses, regardless of suspicion. This would mean that all users could be identified in their Internet activities during the period of storage, “even if there is no reason for intervention by security authorities”. This type of option has great potential for misuse. Even government prosecutors have long drawn “a much more differentiated picture of the need for data retention”. The population should not be held under general suspicion. At the same time, a “security package” is also being discussed in the federal government, which includes biometric facial and voice recognition. The Federal Council is pushing for more extensive surveillance powers and therefore initially blocked parts of the Bundestag proposal.
(Old)
