Snapshot 4:Wed, Dec 10, 2025 5:02:05 PM GMT last edited by Brian

Berlin Approves Police Power to Install Home Spyware

Published 4 days ago

story

Above: Police patrol a right-wing demonstration in Berlin, Germany, on Nov. 29, 2025. Image credit: Fabian Sommer/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin

Berlin needs these updated police powers to stop rising crime before it happens. Faster suspect ID, stronger action against organized gangs and terror threats and better protection for women all enhance — not erode — public safety. Modern tools and clearer authority let officers safeguard residents more effectively while respecting their rights.

Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin Berlin.de

This new law isn't about protecting citizens — it's just the latest step in Germany's dystopian leap toward a mass surveillance state. By legalizing AI-driven video-monitoring, biometric facial recognition, covert "Trojan" hacking of personal devices and secret home entries, Berlin empowers the state to quietly record and track anyone anywhere.

Electronic Frontier Foundation Perspektive Online

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 30% chance that before Jan. 1, 2031, a unified digital identity protocol will enable interaction with at least three different governance frameworks (financial, legal, and civic), according to the Metaculus prediction community.