Harte Kritik am Thüringer Polizeigesetz: Verfassungsrechtlich ist das nicht tragbar
netzpolitik.org
- A draft police law in the German state of Thuringia is facing severe criticism from 32 organizations and experts over potential constitutional violations and human rights concerns.
- Critics argue the legislation transitions policing from threat prevention to a broad, preventive security model with poorly defined intervention thresholds.
- The proposals include controversial tools like automated data analysis, facial/behavioral recognition, and widespread internet-based facial searches.
Key Areas of Concern
- Data Analysis & 'Super-Databases': The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) and legal experts warn that merging disparate data sets violates constitutional standards set by the Federal Constitutional Court, lacking the necessary concrete risk thresholds.
- Bias and 'Self-Fulfilling Prophecies': Digitalcourage warns that automated systems processing data on innocent third parties will reinforce existing biases, causing police to focus surveillance where they already expect to find crime.
- Threats to Freedom of Assembly: Facial recognition software and internet searches could allow for the identification of virtually every participant at public demonstrations, deterring the exercise of civil liberties.
- Expansion of Electronic Monitoring: The proposal to use electronic ankle tags for individuals posing a risk to "infrastructure of vital importance" is seen as dangerously vague, potentially allowing the state to track political protesters or activists.
- Technological Overreach: Experts criticize the introduction of Taser devices as normalizing police violence and note that automated license plate scanners can create permanent movement profiles, undermining social and political participation.