Tag: Federal Police
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Germany: Mobile phones as a tracking bug
With silent SMS, cell site analysis and IMSI catchers, authorities can pinpoint the location of a mobile device to within a few metres. Last year, the German Federal Criminal Police sent about 68,000 silent SMS in 33 cases (one of…
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Germany and Great Britain: Confiscation of asylum seekers’ mobile phones can be illegal
In many cases, European authorities confiscate the phones of refugees after they have crossed the border in order to check their identity or to identify those helping them to flee. The people concerned do not always get their devices back.…
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“Thin blue line”: German police trainer warns against radicalisation
Police sometimes see themselves as the last “blue line” against chaos and crime. Various police stations also tweet about this self-image, which is popular among right-wing officers. Websites where police employees also participate sell patches, mugs and shirts with the…
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Germany: Bavaria upgrades police aerial surveillance
The Bavarian government is stepping up police video surveillance. In addition to aerial observation and mobile camera vans, the interior minister announces research into facial, behavioural and pattern recognition. As probably the first German authority with security tasks, the Bavarian…
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Germany: The state hacks along
With the temporary exception of the Federal Police, all German police agencies and secret services are now allowed to hack into computers and telephones. This is an extremely deep invasion of privacy On 10 June, the Bundestag massively expanded the…
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Spotlight on: State Trojans
In Greek mythology, the horse outside the city of Troy was a wooden gift in whose hull some of the hostile Achaeans had hidden. Unsuspecting inhabitants, certain of victory over the invaders, pulled it in, the Achaeans climbed out at…