Germany plans to grant its intelligence agencies the authority to hack, disrupt, and deceive foreign attackers as part of a major overhaul, post-war limits on these institutions, with the aim of strengthening its response to growing cyber and hybrid threats, according to a draft bill, Reuters reported Thursday, as cited by Agerpres.
German intelligence agencies are more strictly regulated than many foreign services and have been largely limited to observing and reporting.
After World War II, lawmakers sought to prevent any security agency from becoming too powerful within the state.
The reform is a response to what Berlin considers to be the emergence of increased risks related to Russia, with the agencies seeking to develop the capacity to act, not just to observe.
The proposed revision would rewrite the legal framework for the domestic security agency and the foreign intelligence service and create a unified framework for covert operations, particularly online.
The Interior Ministry’s plan introduces new categories of threats that unlock graduated powers, ranging from basic monitoring to “particularly serious” surveillance.
For the first time, the services would be able to interfere with attackers’ infrastructure or intentionally disseminate targeted disinformation.
In cyberspace, the agencies could, under certain strict thresholds, infiltrate attackers’ IT systems, copy or delete data, and block the tools used in campaigns by foreign states, including in specific threat situations such as large-scale cyber operations.
The bill also establishes new rules for the use of state-sponsored spyware in online searches and so-called telecommunications surveillance.
Telecommunications companies, digital platforms, transport operators, and financial intermediaries would face mandatory disclosure orders, backed by fines of up to one million euros and on-site inspections, according to the draft law.
The rules for the use of confidential informants are detailed more extensively, with exceptions that could allow for the involvement of individuals as young as 16 to help uncover the most serious threats.
A new high-level oversight body, the Independent Oversight Council, would replace the current fragmented oversight bodies.
It would combine the authority to approve wiretaps with oversight of data protection and would be required to approve in advance the most intrusive measures, including long-term undercover operations and home surveillance.
source – AGERPRES
