Given the new reform of the intelligence services, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, is warning of freedom restrictions for uninvolved citizens. Specht-Riemenschneider told the “Rheinische Post” that “the reform restricts basic rights in an unacceptable form.” While acknowledging that a state necessarily has a duty to protect its citizens, the commissioner warned that excessive surveillance capabilities applied to uninvolved individuals could lead to freedom restrictions that would only become apparent when it was too late. She emphasized that the basic rights of citizens and the powers of the intelligence services must be kept in proper balance. Furthermore, Specht-Riemenschneider argued that intelligence services must be subject to effective control within a rule of law, and that citizens’ fundamental rights must not be overly restricted.
Politics
