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Chancellery Chief Thorsten Frei Seeks Expanded Powers for Germany’s BND

He casts the plan as a response to a transformed threat landscape, with scrutiny centralized under an independent watchdog.

Overview

  • In an op-ed, Frei argues the foreign intelligence service should move beyond collection to an active defensive role, citing options like jamming drone communications and disabling hostile crypto wallets.
  • He proposes broader telecommunications access, including retrospective searches of relevant network links and storage of intercepted data for six to twelve months.
  • The package envisions more intrusive measures such as access to private mobile phones and continued monitoring when individuals regularly enter Germany to prepare sabotage.
  • Frei says the BND should be able to capture domestic traffic for early warning of cyberattacks and employ artificial intelligence to filter and process large data sets.
  • Oversight would be consolidated under the Independent Control Council, and the proposals remain policy ideas requiring legislative action and subsequent scrutiny.