Dr. Thorsten Wetzling in Internationale Politik: "Reform with Explosive Power"

Dr. Thorsten Wetzling, Lead Digital Rights, Surveillance and Democracy, analyzed the German government's 700-page draft bill to reform the intelligence services in his contribution to the German-language Internationale Politik magazine. He warned of significant oversight gaps and constitutional deficits and criticized the lack of statutory regulation surrounding commercial data purchases ("Surveillance as a Service") and highlighted the ongoing absence of a legal foundation and parliamentary control for the Military Intelligence Service's operational activities. Wetzling emphasized that broad surveillance powers strictly require effective, independent oversight to ensure democratic legitimacy and uphold rule-of-law standards.