From Informants to Algorithms: Germany Builds the Modern Stasi
22nd January 2026
According to plans from the Federal Chancellery, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND, is set to significantly expand its surveillance capabilities. The focus is particularly on internet communication transmitted from within Germany abroad, which is to be included in the agency’s monitoring catalog going forward.
After months of heated debate over the expansion of the Brussels censorship apparatus under the Digital Services Act and ‘Chat Control,’ attention to the EU Commission’s surveillance ambitions has temporarily faded in Germany. Now, however, a draft bill from the Federal Chancellery, obtained by WDR, NDR, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, is triggering renewed alarm.
The proposed expansion of BND powers makes one thing unmistakably clear: German policy is moving in lockstep with the EU Commission, with full force directed against the privacy and communication of citizens, journalists, and government-critical organizations.