Overview
- Reports published July 22–23 disclosed an internal Bundesinnenministerium memo from February that proposes abolishing the federal IFG commissioner and adding an identification requirement for information requests.
- The draft law would give the BND and BfV new technical and operational tools, including hacking authority, AI-based data analysis, biometric video use, and the option to buy advertising or location data.
- Key oversight roles would move from the federal data‑protection office (BfDI) and the G‑10 system to a central Unabhängiger Kontrollrat, creating a gap in individual complaint handling until 2029 and delaying the board’s first public report until about 2031.
- Civil society, media groups, parts of the SPD and the federal data‑protection authority have mobilised large opposition, including a petition of roughly 600,000 signatures and public legal warnings about likely constitutional problems.
- The Interior Ministry defends the package as a response to growing hybrid threats and administrative strain, but critics warn the measures would raise barriers for journalists and platforms such as FragDenStaat and reduce public access to federal documents.