Within the grand coalition, a dispute is emerging over the future powers of German security agencies in cyberspace. Johannes Schätzl, the SPD parliamentary faction’s digital‑policy spokesperson, has warned the Federal Interior Ministry that it should not equip the Federal Police, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) with the authority to carry out digital counter‑attacks.
A draft bill under consideration would let the agencies actively interfere with foreign IT systems. Schätzl acknowledges that the overall strengthening of cyber‑defence is welcome, but he draws a clear line against offensive measures. “There are red lines: I reject hackbacks as a form of digital counter‑attack” he told “Handelsblatt” in its Monday edition. “We need an unequivocal statutory definition of what constitutes a ‘hackback.’ Only with precise terminology can powers, limits and responsibilities be lawfully determined”.
He regards intrusion or manipulation of a system as similarly problematic unless it can be unambiguously established that the target is part of the attacker’s infrastructure. “Premature responses risk striking uninvolved parties or escalating existing conflicts” he warned.
Schätzl also stresses the importance of international rules as a binding framework. “International law and the Geneva Conventions set natural and binding limits on state conduct even in the cyber realm” he said. “Measures must not erode international legal norms or compromise civilian infrastructure”.