“Give us a hard time”
Ex-BND boss calls for more powers for secret services
May 2, 2024, 7:42 a.m
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The latest scandals show: Germany is a playground for spies of all kinds. The former head of the BND is therefore in favor of more opportunities for the secret services. One point in particular is important to him.
The former president of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), Gerhard Schindler, has called for fewer shackles on the German intelligence services in view of increasing espionage attacks from Russia and China. “I always see the opportunity to get better,” he told the editorial network Germany (RND). “And if the successes of our security authorities now give us reason to think about how they can become even better, then I think that’s a good thing.”
Schindler, who led the BND from 2011 to 2016, added: “We have to concentrate on cracking communications. This concerns communications surveillance. We have a hard time with that in Germany.” As an example, he cited data retention, which Germany has been discussing for ages. In addition, the Federal Intelligence Service is generally not allowed to record German telephone numbers or email addresses when conducting investigations. “That’s a big handicap. A foreign agent only needs to take a German cell phone and the BND is out.”
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the state offices would also need the opportunity for strategic communications intelligence domestically. Communication can also take place through personal meetings, i.e. through travel. “Travel routes are therefore also an important starting point for clarification. Recognizing patterns could help here, i.e. knowing who flies to which places and when. Such grid analyzes are almost impossible under our data protection law.”
The ex-BND boss also welcomed the plan to make financial investigations easier for the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. “If you can prove certain financial flows including donors and recipients, then that helps,” he said.
“But you can’t go too far with the requirements. For an intelligence service like the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, it’s about gaining information in advance of a police investigation. This means: it has to be allowed to work with assumptions and can’t immediately come up with results that can be used in court . If intelligence services have to work according to police law, then they cannot act sensibly.”
Schindler: AfD “relevant target” for spies
Finally, Schindler spoke out in favor of the use of artificial intelligence and, in the case of cyber attacks, the possibility of hackbacks. “Hackbacks are a means to ward off cyberattacks,” he said. Recently, Russian espionage attempts from both Russia and China were exposed.
Schindler sees the AfD as a worthwhile target for espionage activities. “If you look at Germany from the outside, the AfD is definitely a relevant target,” he said in the interview. “This has to do with the mental closeness with regard to the war in Ukraine, for example. It makes it easier to recruit people. In addition, there are quite a few people in the AfD with flexible CVs. That attracts opposing services. Someone who “It’s easier to campaign than someone who always follows the same line. And ultimately, the AfD has the potential to set issues in everyday political life. An opposing service can use that.” Schindler emphasized that such a service has an anchor in Germany. “Such organizations are a worthwhile target for Russia and China.”