# German privacy and data protection legal developments > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/german-privacy-and-data-protection-legal-developments > Updated: 2026-09-17T13:21:29.000Z. Sources: 9. Developments: 2. Legal developments in Germany have recently focused on the boundaries of privacy rights and data protection. The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has referred cases to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to clarify the scope of the GDPR’s ‘household exemption’. This inquiry seeks to define whether ‘personal’ or ‘family’ activities remain exempt from strict data protection rules when the processing of data—such as forwarding private messages or unauthorized home surveillance—results in consequences outside the immediate social or family circle. In a separate ruling, the German Federal Constitutional Court strengthened privacy protections for individuals in shared living arrangements. The court rejected previous lower court practices that allowed police to search the private, lockable rooms of non-suspect roommates based solely on proximity to a suspect. The court ruled that under Article 13 of the Basic Law, shared housing does not receive weaker fundamental rights, and authorities must provide concrete evidence that specific evidence is likely located within a particular private space to justify a search. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-17: German Federal Constitutional Court protects roommates' privacy The German Federal Constitutional Court ruled that roommates cannot have their private rooms searched simply because a co-resident is under investigation, requiring concrete evidence for such actions. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/german-federal-constitutional-court-protects-roommates-privacy ### 2026-09-17: German Federal Court seeks ECJ ruling on GDPR household exemption The German Federal Court of Justice has asked the ECJ to clarify the GDPR ‘household exemption’ regarding private video surveillance and the sharing of private messages. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/german-federal-court-seeks-ecj-ruling-on-gdpr-household-exemption --- Cite as: German privacy and data protection legal developments. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/german-privacy-and-data-protection-legal-developments