Thuringia and Brandenburg advance controversial security legislation

In Thuringia, a draft police law would permit extensive automated surveillance, including data analysis, video monitoring with facial‑ and behavior‑recognition, and internet facial searches. Critics such as the digital‑rights group Digitalcourage and the Chaos Computer Club argue the measures conflict with the German constitution and threaten fundamental freedoms.

In Brandenburg, Interior Minister Jan Redmann announced a new security package aimed at modernising the state’s response to emerging threats. The plan includes a dedicated drone‑defence law that would allow private operators of critical infrastructure to install systems that detect and intercept drones, and it expands police powers to shoot down hostile drones after recent incidents such as a bomb‑laden drone found at the Halle‑Leipzig airport. The proposals have sparked debate over privacy and state trust.

Both states’ initiatives have drawn concern from civil‑society groups about the balance between security and civil liberties.