German intelligence agencies gain powers to hack foreign IT systems and recruit informants as young as 16

Germany’s parliament has approved a bill significantly expanding the powers of the country’s intelligence agencies. The law aims to counter espionage, terrorism, and sabotage, the newspaper Die Welt reported.The changes apply to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND).The law allows the agencies to:Secretly enter homesCarry out cyberattacks on foreign IT systemsDelete or alter data or redirect internet trafficUse AI to analyze biometric dataRecruit teenagers 16 and older as informants in exceptional casesA special body, including former judges, will review whether proposed measures are legal before the agencies carry them out.The authorities said the law was needed because of growing hybrid threats from Russia, China, and Iran.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.