Germany to allow online snooping and cctv in your own home

[Mark Gobell]

15. GERMANY:

Federal Ministry for the Interior plans to amend the Federal Criminal Police Office Act; including authorisation of online computer searches and video surveillance in private homes.

Press release (link):
http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jun/germany-surveillance-powers-pr oposal-prel.pdf

and In a Nutshell: Draft Law on Preventing International Terrorist Threats through the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKAG-E):

http://www.statewatch.org/news/2008/jun/germany-surveillance-powers-pr oposals.pdf

The proposals are said to be: "restricted to cases of terrorist threats" and include:

"provisions on the surveillance of private homes and telecommunications as well as remote searches of computer hard drives." and:

"Measures concerning telecommunications interception at the source allow the surveillance of telecommunications which is conducted in encrypted form with the help of Voice over IP or other Internet tools either prior to encryption or at the recipient’s computer after decryption.

This measure has become imperative given the increasing use of such forms of communication." and:

"The power of the acoustic and visual surveillance of private homes"

http://www.statewatch.org/