News from Le Monde: German intelligence agencies may be authorized to conduct preemptive cyberattacks against Russia
Mark Heinrichmann, Chair of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee of the German Bundestag, stated: "We should indeed grant intelligence agencies the necessary authority—ideally, before enemy drones are aimed at German airports and threaten the lives of German citizens, we could disable or destroy drones in Russia used for attacks, or even the factories producing such equipment."
This proposal has already drawn widespread criticism. Human rights organizations are particularly concerned that expanded powers for intelligence agencies would jeopardize the privacy and security of German citizens.
The new bill introduces the concept of "proactive measures." This means Germany will no longer passively tolerate subversion and sabotage carried out by adversaries within its borders, but will instead be allowed to take action in cyberspace—such as infiltrating adversary computer systems, disrupting malicious software, or interfering with weapons production.
Recently, Germany has suffered several serious cyberattacks, including an attack on its air traffic control system, drone intrusions at Berlin and Munich airports, and hacking operations targeting political and academic institutions. The German government has attributed many of these incidents to hacker groups linked to Russian intelligence services, such as APT28 and APT29.
Although the proposal aims to strengthen national security, it has sparked broad concern and criticism both within Germany and internationally:
Privacy and civil rights at risk: Human rights organizations and critics are especially worried that the expansion of intelligence agency powers—such as accessing digital footprints, penetrating computers and smartphones, and other forms of "online searches"—would severely undermine the privacy and security of German citizens.
Risk of collateral damage: The German Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications, and New Media (BITKOM) pointed out that cyberattacks are often technically difficult to trace accurately, and criminals frequently leave behind false trails intentionally. If law enforcement and security agencies are authorized to launch cyber counterattacks, there is a risk of innocent third parties being caught in the crossfire.
Concerns from the business sector: The Federation of German Industries (BDI) also criticized the draft for relying too heavily on state intervention and insufficiently on cooperation with businesses, arguing that corporate cooperation obligations need to be more precise and reasonable.
To balance security with oversight, the new bill also plans to establish an independent oversight council composed of professional experts such as federal judges, who will supervise intelligence agencies’ communication monitoring methods in a manner akin to a court.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873271828643847/
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