The state government wants this Constitutional Protection allows tighter control. “The draft law enables the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to carry out better information work now and in the years to come,” said new Interior Minister Magdalena Finke (CDU). The previous legal basis is more than 30 years old and no longer meets the requirements of current security authorities.
The country faces multiple threats to internal security, Finke said. “We couldn’t have imagined it in this form a few years ago.” Democracy is under attack from without through acts of sabotage, through drone flights over critical infrastructure, through disinformation on social networks, and from within through hateful slogans in the streets or online.
Various forces have tried to divide society for years, Finke said. “The number of people moving outside our constitutional order is also increasing in Schleswig-Holstein.” This is very worrying because more and more children and teenagers are becoming radical. Young people are increasingly being targeted by extremist groups using digital platforms.
More powers for minors – what’s new?
Black-Green wants to expand the Office of Constitutional Protection’s authority to store data on minors. Authorities should also be given new powers, for example in financial investigations. In the future, it will be able to query account master data and account traffic and automatically evaluate the data using artificial intelligence – for example on extremist online forums.
Fink was referring to right-wing rock concerts as well as fighting and sporting events that have taken place nationwide for years and generated revenue for right-wing extremist efforts.
At the same time, the coalition is planning a new mechanism to control the work of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The limits on the use of confidants, also known as “knowledgeable persons”, should be more clearly regulated. In addition, there should be an initial review and accompanying review especially for “intervention intensive” means – such as the use of trusted persons.
Another novelty is the possibility of transmitting information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to applicants in the public service before they are hired. The coalition also strengthens parliamentary control bodies through additional options such as the right to inspect files and the right of access to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The reforms planned by the state government still have to be approved by parliament.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251119-930-312814/1
