German top court revokes key parts of anti-terror law

Germany’s highest court on Wednesday struck down key planks of an anti-terror law, saying they violated privacy protections enshrined in the Constitution.

The legislation passed in 2008 which covers surveillance of terror suspects by the federal police must be reworked by June 2018, the Federal Constitutional Court in the south-western city of Karlsruhe ruled.

The law gave investigators sweeping powers to use secret cameras and bugging devices in private homes and to install government-developed surveillance software on personal computers in a bid to prevent attacks.

Controversially, it specifically allowed snooping in the bedroom and bathroom.

The judges said in their verdict that while the thrust of the measures is covered by Germany’s Basic Law, they found “several individual provisions allowing disproportionate encroachment on privacy”.

The court said that before the federal police use data collected during surveillance operations, an “independent service” must review them.