Religious communities in Germany face surveillance through mobile location data

• Commercial mobile location data, originally collected for advertising, allows for the precise tracking of individuals visiting religious sites in Germany, including churches, mosques, and synagogues.
• Investigations reveal over one million location data points linked to religious institutions, exposing believers to risks of stalking, discrimination, and targeted violence.
• Data brokers aggregate this information, which can reveal private habits, home addresses, and daily routines of citizens, including those in sensitive professions or at-risk groups.

Security and Privacy Implications

• The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns that this data facilitates espionage and physical threats against already vulnerable communities.
• Religious organizations, including the Central Council of Jews and Muslim groups, face increased risks; specific instances include tracked visitors to the Halle synagogue and the Şehitlik Mosque in Berlin.
• Experts from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation argue that such digital tracking erodes the sense of safety and trust for marginalized groups.

Data Brokerage and Legal Failure

• Despite GDPR Article 9 prohibiting the processing of sensitive data regarding religious beliefs, the industry operates with minimal oversight.
• Regulatory agencies are often underfunded and reactive, struggling to curb the illicit trade of billions of location records.
• While politicians and security experts identify the trade as a national security risk, some law enforcement agencies have begun utilizing this same "advertising-based intelligence" (ADINT) for their own surveillance activities instead of banning the practice.