Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), does not consider the authority to be overwhelmed in the fight against extremist activities on the Messenger service Telegram and social networks. “Our virtual agents are on the move on the platforms,” explained the political official in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper. “I can’t tell you how many employees that is, but they are very successful.”
“A world of its own with its own risks”
After the death threats against Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) via Telegram, “it was not least thanks to our activities that people were able to be identified,” Haldenwang gave an example. However, he conceded that it was not possible for the domestic intelligence service to “overview all events on Telegram”. But they don’t want that at all: “Our aim is to filter out extremist activities, hatred and hate speech.”
The lawyer estimates the share that social networks and chat groups play in radicalization processes in society to be quite high: “There is a special kind of communication and networking on the platforms” that is not possible in the analogue world, he stated. “The most diverse protagonists can exchange ideas and fantasies nationwide, radicalize and emotionalize each other. It’s a separate world with its own risks.”
In 2018, Haldenwang – then new to the office – expressed himself even more drastically at a secret service hearing in the Bundestag. Facebook, Telegram & Co. acted as “stimulants and crime scene” for extremists and terrorists, he complained at the time and demanded access to encrypted communication. The platforms encouraged a “climate of disinhibition” and served as “accelerator for later physical violence”.
“Telegram deserves our special attention”
“Telegram deserves our special attention because self-cleaning forces only work to a very small extent there,” emphasized the 61-year-old. Hate and agitation are often not eradicated there. It would therefore be desirable to have more “influence so that Telegram itself removes criminal content”.
In view of hundreds of calls for murder against well-known personalities in this country alone since mid-November on German-language channels, local politicians have been demanding stronger regulation of the provider, which is officially based in Dubai, for weeks. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) recently even suggested shutting down the service if it continues to fail to comply with the Network Enforcement Act and does not respond to letters from German authorities.
Haldenwang does not want to overdramatize the importance of extremist online statements. The majority of the people “who we notice online” have “not yet appeared offline and perhaps never will,” he reports. “There are the loudmouths who express themselves very loudly on the Internet, but don’t step outside the door.” But he also referred to groups “that are making concrete plans to procure weapons.” The highest level of vigilance is required “when it comes to members of the security authorities.”
“Adaptation of the constitutional protection law”
The head of the secret service apparently understood the hint of the traffic light coalition with the surveillance accounts: When asked by the newspaper whether he “had no wishes at all for the new government” and whether he was not pushing for authorization for secret online searches, Haldenwang replied: ” We are currently well equipped in terms of personnel and material. Before I ask for additional competencies, I would first like to analyze very carefully whether the current capacities and powers are sufficient. Basically, you always have to ask yourself: What is the relationship between the gain in information and the loss of civil liberties ? It always has to be in balance.”
With the controversial law for the “adaptation of the constitution protection law” in the summer still under black and red. This allows extended source telecommunications surveillance (TKÜ), which is already bordering on an online search: Agents can tap into ongoing communication directly on the hacked end device before it has been encrypted or after it has been decrypted, as well as saved chats and emails.
The deputies have already stated that the service providers must support the “authorized bodies” in “introducing” “technical means” to the source TKÜ such as Trojans and additionally required listening hardware and redirecting the communication to them. The Federal Ministry of the Interior, under the former head of department Horst Seehofer (CSU), set out details for the implementation of these cooperation obligations in a draft regulation. After the change of government, however, this controversial initiative did not find a majority in the Bundesrat.
(bme)