Following the revelation of security deficiencies at the Helmholtz Center for Information Security (Cispa), politicians representing the Social Democrats (SPD), Christian Democrats (CDU), and Greens are now calling for a nationwide review of research security. These demands stem from the fact that Cispa had collaborations with Chinese university researchers associated with the military, according to the newspaper “Handelsblatt”.
Johannes Schätzl, the digital policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, told “Handelsblatt” that both federal and state governments must investigate whether comparable weaknesses exist at other research institutions. He stressed that for key technologies and research that can be used both civily and militarily, “there must be no blind spots.” While acknowledging that scientific collaboration remains important, Schätzl cautioned that “openness must not be confused with naivety,” warning that if connections to the military, intelligence services, or other state structures exist, these cannot be taken for granted by trustworthy partners.
Marc Henrichmann, Chairman of the Parliamentary Control Committee for the Intelligence Services from the CDU, stated to “Handelsblatt” that when it comes to research security, a higher awareness of the risk of espionage is necessary. He argued that the Cispa case illustrated “how seriously we must take the risk of scientific espionage, especially from China.” He insisted that research institutions must proactively identify connections between their cooperation partners and the military or security authorities and must protect sensitive data. He concluded that “willful blindness harms the research and economic location of Germany first and foremost.”
Meanwhile, Konstantin von Notz, Deputy Chair of the Green parliamentary group, described the events as a “real alarm signal.” He added that this signal also applies to the urgently needed strengthening of protection for other research and economic entities. He stressed that the federal government, the states, and the institutions themselves must review their security precautions, deeming it “completely incomprehensible” that institutions continued to ignore warnings issued by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
