Germany - WhatsApp, Gmail & Co. should have to issue passwords

[sman]

Ministry of Justice: WhatsApp, Gmail & Co. should have to issue passwords

"https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Justizministerium-WhatsApp-Gmail-Co-sollen-Passwoerter-herausgeben-muessen-4615602.html"

Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht's draft for a law against "hate crime" goes far beyond tightening up the NetzDG.

Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht is following in the footsteps of her colleague in the internal department, Horst Seehofer (CSU), in surveillance questions. With her draft bill for a law "to combat right-wing extremism and hate crime" presented on Friday, the SPD politician not only wants to significantly tighten the already controversial Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG). She also plans a duty for WhatsApp, Gmail, Facebook, Tinder & Co. to release sensitive village data, such as passwords or IP addresses, to any village police officer and numerous other security authorities on request, sometimes without a judge's decision.

"Anyone who provides telecommunications services on a business basis, participates in them or gives them access to use them," should be able to use the relevant inventory and usage data "to fulfill information obligations" vis-à-vis the authorized agencies, according to the heise online draft, which the journalist has since published Hendrik Wieduwilt has published . The Ministry of Justice emphasized that the information to be released was to be "transmitted immediately and in full".