A German interior minister, Herbert Reul, plans to propose a comprehensive security catalog in the exploratory talks between the CDU and SPD on the formation of a new federal government. The minister emphasized the need for solutions to the burning questions of security policy, citing the recent attacks in Solingen, Magdeburg, Aschaffenburg and Munich. He believes that the security authorities should have more possibilities for data exchange, allowing the police and intelligence agencies to work more efficiently in the hunt for criminals and terrorists.
Reul mentioned several “urgent homework assignments for internal security” to ease the recognition of potential terrorists and the data exchange of relevant security authorities. The introduction of traffic data storage is a central theme, where the CDU and SPD must agree, according to Reul. Internet providers and network companies would be obligated to store IP addresses and port numbers for a certain time to enable the pursuit of severe crimes like terrorism, capital delinquencies, or child pornography.
The minister hopes that the SPD as a government partner would support the expansion of the pilot project for risk assessment of potential attackers outside of the classical extremism, known as “PeRiskoP.” This project aims to identify early on psychologically outstanding individuals who might be violent or weapon-oriented, often outside of the classic extremist spectrum, as seen in the Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg attacks.
Reul also plans to take a new approach to the introduction of the so-called verfahrensübergreifende Recherche- und Analyseplattform, or “BundesVeRA” a disputed analysis software from the US company Palantir. This platform allows for the simultaneous search of various police databases and the establishment of connections between people.
Data protectors view this tool critically, but the NRW interior ministry hopes that after the FDP’s withdrawal from the Bundestag, a majority could be found in favor of “BundesVeRA.” Reul also hopes for easier police searches between the federal states and the modernization of police communication.
The minister believes that broadband technology can today bring more important information to the deployment site and to the command centers than the established digital speech radio. The new federal government must invest and allocate suitable frequencies, according to Reul.
Unclear is whether a reform of the constitutional protection agency could find its way into a black-red government agreement. Reul would like to see an easing of online searches for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, allowing for access to computer systems of potentially dangerous individuals or the reading of GPS data from cars in individual cases.
Reul also demands the abolition of the minimum age of 14 for data storage, citing the radicalization of young people, also due to the increasing influence of digital media and the fact that attack planning has been carried out by individuals of younger age in the past. It should be possible, regardless of age, to include these individuals in the intelligence information systems.