German Cabinet Passes Broad Anti-Terror Law

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - The German cabinet passed on Wednesday a sweeping anti-terror law that would grant the police wide powers to monitor residences, telephones and computers. The Bundestag, Germany's parliament, however, has to first approve the controversial measure.

The power to conduct video surveillance of homes and online computer data, however, are preventive measures for suspected terrorists. The measure came at a time when the communications firm Deutsche Telekom is under fire for monitoring the calls of its employees, despite federal restrictions.

The bill is expected to be opposed by various groups given the country's history of spying on citizens during the Nazi and communist regimes.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, though, defended the measure. "It's an important building block for Germany's security architecture," Schaeuble said, quoted by the Deutsche Welle.

Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries insisted investigators who would enter homes to install surveillance cameras or programs on computers must have the consent of the residents.

Sebastian Edathy, chairman of the Bundestag's domestic affairs committee, proposed limiting the online searches to four or five years to give legislators a chance to evaluate the measure. Edathy said, quoted by Deutsche Welle, "We don't want a spy state. We want a state that works with tweezers instead of a sledgehammer in cases where we indeed have to protect the state's security concerns."