The German parliament has passed a law that substantially extends the powers of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND). The services will in future be allowed to enter homes covertly, carry out cyberattacks on foreign IT systems, delete or alter data and reroute internet traffic. The use of AI to analyse biometric data is also permitted, and in exceptional cases young people aged 16 and over may be recruited as informants.

A special panel including former judges is to review, before implementation, whether planned measures are lawful. The authorities justify the law by pointing to growing hybrid threats from Russia, China and Iran, and say they want to combat espionage, terrorism and sabotage more effectively.

Key points:

• The German parliament has passed a law that substantially extends the powers of the country's intelligence services.
• The law is intended to combat espionage, terrorism and sabotage.
• The changes affect the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND).

Source: Web search (English)