Broad front against the traffic light coalition’s surveillance package

The so-called asylum and security package of the traffic light government has been met with strict rejection by more than 20 well-known civil society organizations. The organizations, which not only come from the digital policy and fundamental rights spectrum, are calling in an open letter in particular for the biometric surveillance powers to be removed from the planned law. They criticize the legislative package in sharp terms as disproportionate, inhumane and contrary to international law.

The appeal, which was signed by members of the “Stop Facial Recognition” alliance and 15 other civil society organizations, comes on the occasion of today’s hearing in the Interior Committee on the measures of the federal government’s so-called security package. It criticizes the expansion of the powers of the security authorities in the digital area, but also addresses the tightening of the asylum sector.

“Headless actionism”

The traffic light government is moving very quickly with the asylum and surveillance package. The first reading of the laws was on September 12, the expert hearing just eleven days later. At such a pace, civil society has little time to evaluate the law and get involved in the debate. Despite the speed, around 1,000 people demonstrated against the package in front of the SPD headquarters in Berlin last Tuesday, criticizing above all the tightening of asylum regulations, but also the surveillance plans.

In the letter, the members of the Bundestag have now resolved to “oppose the mindless activism that comes with the security package, to protect fundamental and human rights and to stand up for the rule of law.” The measures in the package are disproportionate to the assumed security gains.

At the same time, the signatories, from Amnesty International to Seawatch, criticize the fact that the tightening of asylum law supports authoritarian narratives by calling into question the rights of “others.” The law contributes to the division of society and undermines human dignity. The random checks contained in the law are also a gateway for racial profiling, including racist checks.

The federal government’s asylum and police laws are being tightened

“Race of Shabbiness”

The letter also states: “The protection of human rights must not be subject to reservations.” Particularly in the context of the rise of right-wing extremist parties, democratic forces must work together to minimize the possibility of institutional abuse of power. We therefore call on you to campaign against any form of remote biometric identification in Germany.”

The traffic light government, which had described itself as a “progressive coalition”, is breaking its own coalition agreement with the legislative package: In this agreement, it had clearly positioned itself against facial recognition and an expansion of surveillance. The former state data protection commissioner for Baden-Württemberg, Stefan Brink, accuses the traffic light coalition of a loss of conviction and participation in a “race of shabbiness”.

We document the open letter in full text:

Take a stand – defend human rights and the rule of law, stop biometric facial recognition

Dear Members of the German Bundestag,

With the draft laws on the so-called security package, the factions of the traffic light coalition are proposing tightening asylum law and introducing mass biometric surveillance. Despite serious open questions regarding the effectiveness of the proposed measures and their conformity with EU law and the Basic Law, this package is to be passed and implemented in record time.

The security package provides for measures that are disproportionate to the expected increase in security. In some areas, the regulations are purely symbolic and will burden the security authorities with tasks that will prevent them from carrying out their actual activities.

At the same time, the proposed tightening of asylum law supports authoritarian narratives that question the rights of “others”, in this case asylum seekers, and thus contributes to the division of society. Asylum seekers whose asylum application is the responsibility of another state will in future have all social benefits withdrawn after two weeks. This undermines human dignity and is unacceptable and contrary to international law. The planned expansion of random checks by the police is a gateway for racial profiling.

We call on you to oppose the mindless activism that accompanies the security package, to protect fundamental and human rights and to stand up for the rule of law.

The power to biometrically compare the entire Internet with images and voices of suspects or wanted persons is also to be introduced. The Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police are to be given these powers not only to combat terrorism, but also as a new standard instrument; the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees even without initial suspicion of a crime, just to determine the identity of people. However, such a measure is technically only possible if large, indiscriminate facial databases are created. Such facial databases are a prohibited practice under Article 5 of the AI ​​Regulation, as they enable mass surveillance and can lead to serious violations of fundamental rights, including the right to privacy. Although there are exceptions in the context of national security, a ban on the use of biometric remote identification systems is expressly possible under the AI ​​Regulation and can be legally introduced by the member states.

The protection of human rights must not be conditional. Particularly in the context of the growing strength of right-wing extremist parties, democratic forces must work together to minimise the possibility of institutional abuse of power.

We therefore call on you to oppose any form of biometric remote identification in Germany.

In the coalition agreement, the governing parties justify preventing biometric surveillance in Germany in two places: The “[b]The “use of biometric recognition in public spaces” as well as the “use of biometric recording for surveillance purposes” are expressly rejected.

It is now time to consistently pursue a ban on biometric surveillance and to reject once and for all infringements on fundamental rights such as the rampant ideas of automated data analysis, the indiscriminate storage of IP address data, video surveillance and facial recognition in public spaces, online searches for the protection of the constitution and the general and indiscriminate retention of data.

We call on you to stand up for the protection of all people and the right to a life free from mass surveillance and control.

Best regards

Sorted alphabetically:

1. AlgorithmWatch
2. Amnesty International
3. Chaos Computer Club
4. D64 – Center for Digital Progress
5. The data points
6. Digital Freedom eV
7. Digital Society eV
8th Forum of Computer Scientists for Peace and Social Responsibility (FIfFl eV)
9. Stop facial recognition
10. Humanist Union eV
11. Innovation Network Public Health eV
12. Committee on Fundamental Rights and Democracy
13. #LeaveNoOneBehind
14. LOAD eV – Association for liberal network policy
15. Open Knowledge Foundation Germany eV
16. netzbegrünung – Association for green network culture eV
17. Sea-Watch eV
18. Pier
19. SUPERRR Laboratory
20. Topio eV
21. Wikimedia Germany e. V.