Germany expands police surveillance powers online

The German federal government plans to grant new, broad powers to the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police to increase the effectiveness of online investigations. The reform project, prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, primarily envisions enabling investigators to store IP addresses, which is intended to facilitate the identification of perpetrators of online crimes. BKA and Federal Police are expected to combat organized crime and human trafficking more effectively thanks to these changes. The new regulations are soon to be submitted for deliberation by the federal government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

A key element of the announced reform is increasing the freedom of officers to use undercover investigators on social media platforms and in other areas of the digital space. According to the Ministry of the Interior's assumptions, modern online surveillance tools are essential for detecting hidden connections within criminal structures. The current Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU, who took office in May 2025, argues that authorities must have instruments adequate for the digital nature of contemporary crime. The German debate over authorities' powers online has been ongoing for years, focusing on the dispute between security needs and privacy protection. The previous Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser (SPD), who ended her term in May 2025, also attempted to expand authorities' powers, but many of these proposals raised constitutional controversies. The current Merz government's reform represents a continuation of these efforts under the new political landscape.

Minister Alexander Dobrindt points to the necessity of better recognizing patterns of criminal group activity through the analysis of digital data. „Laut Innenminister Dobrindt könnten Behörden so Muster erkennen und versteckte Verbindungen sichtbar machen” (According to Interior Minister Dobrindt, authorities could thus recognize patterns and make hidden connections visible) — Alexander Dobrindt via ZEIT ONLINE The planned changes are primarily aimed at human smuggling, which has become a priority for the new leadership of the ministry. The draft law envisions that investigators will be able to operate online with greater flexibility, which is intended to shorten response times to threats emerging on social media.

Timeline of the reform and personnel changes at the Ministry of the Interior: December 2021 — Start of Faeser's term; May 2025 — Change at the ministry; March 4, 2026 — Security declaration; March 12, 2026 — Presentation of assumptions

[{"aspekt": "IP addresses", "przed": "Limited storage and access capabilities", "po": "Enabling investigators to systematically store data"}, {"aspekt": "Undercover operations", "przed": "Restrictive rules for undercover investigators online", "po": "Greater operational freedom on social media"}, {"aspekt": "Investigation focus", "przed": "General fight against cybercrime", "po": "Concentration on human smuggling and organized structures"}]