According to the will of the German Interior Ministry, German security authorities should be able to evaluate data from networked devices such as the speech assistant Alexa and „smart“ refrigerators in the future.
„From our point of view it is very important for an effective fight against crime that the security authorities of federation and countries do not remain locked even on these devices stored data“, said a Ministry of Interior spokesman today in Berlin.
Speaker: topic is currently under consideration
Due to the increasing digitization and networking of all spheres of life, the significance of such digital traces is increasing. Currently, the topic, which is also on the agenda of the Conference of Interior Ministers in Kiel next week, examined, since the legal basis is not sufficient, so the spokesman. Also data protection concerns should be considered.
The German Consumer Protection Ministry recalled the personal responsibility of the people. Of course, those who put up Alexa’s bedroom would run the risk of being overheard and generating data. „This data is there, and of course, the data can be used in a variety of ways and theoretically confiscated by law enforcement agencies,“ said a spokesman. „Anyone who uses such language assistants in their most private environment should ask.“
Sharp criticism of push
The editorial network Germany (RND) had reported that the interior ministers of the German federal states wanted to undertake next week in Kiel an advance to the evaluation of digital traces by the security authorities.
Sharp criticism came from Germany’s Greens. „The digitization of our lives must not lead to the individual being at the mercy of the state’s exploration and control wishes, especially in the area of their own housing, which is particularly protected by Article 13 of the Basic Law,“ said deputy faction leader Konstantin von Notz.
