Germany beefs up its intelligence services as threat from ‘foreign powers’ rises
The 700-page reform would let Germany’s spy agencies use AI, access more data and conduct non-lethal cyber operations, officials said.
- On Wednesday, the German government plans to propose a major overhaul of its intelligence agencies, granting the BND and BfV broad new powers to conduct covert operations and cyberattacks.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition argues these changes are essential to counter a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage and espionage, with officials accusing Russia of waging destabilization efforts against Germany.
- The 700-page legislative package would allow agencies to execute cyberattacks disabling foreign IT systems and utilize artificial intelligence to scan vast datasets while retaining information for longer periods.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt calls the reform a move toward "genuine secret services," while Greens MP Konstantin von Notz argues the proposal goes "too far" in lacking independent oversight.
- Germany's strict privacy limits, imposed after Nazi and East Germany abuses, may shift as experts urge the country to adopt powers comparable to other European democracies.
85 Articles
85 Articles
German intelligence services are being given new powers in response to the increasing number of Russian hybrid attacks against Germany and Europe. But it brings back bad memories, according to the German opposition.
In the face of the Russian threat and the risk of cyberattacks, the German government allows its secret services to carry out sabotage and piracy operations abroad.
The German government, in response to the growing threat from powers like Russia and the threat of extremists, has approved a bill to expand the powers of the intelligence services for actions such as thwarting sabotage and hacking attempts.
Merz’s executive defends the bill to protect the country from threats of “hybrid war” and “sabotages.” The opposition fears that it will jeopardize the separation between spy agencies and the police
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