Titled: Cracking Down on Discrimination in German Police Data: A Call for Tighter Regulations from Human Rights Institute
The German Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) is pushing for stricter regulations on data protection to guard against racial discrimination within German police authorities. In their annual report, the organization urged federal and state governments to establish more precise guidelines for implementing the EU directive on data protection in the police. According to the report, presented in Berlin, this is essential to protect individuals from discrimination.
DIHR Director Beate Rudolf stated that regulations should specify when sensitive data can be collected, stored, and further processed. The required measures to safeguard the rights and freedoms of those affected should also be regulated. Sensitive data includes skin color and language, among other factors.
Despite warnings, the Institute found that the protection for the processing of sensitive data by the police barely differs from that for non-sensitive data, as stated in the report. Consequently, the legally required special protection does not exist, as declared by Rudolf.
Additionally, the DIHR criticized the imposition of preventive detention on climate activists, viewing it as a violation of human rights. Though the actions are disruptive and may upset the general public, they are peaceful. Rudolf emphasized that preventive detention should not be used to prevent mere participation in sit-in blockades.
Moreover, the Institute advocated for lowering the voting age for Bundestag elections to 16 and making it uniform across all federal states for state and local elections to provide equal opportunities for all children and young people in Germany.
The German Institute for Human Rights is an independent national human rights organization founded as a non-profit association and funded by both the Bundestag and third-party funds for individual projects. The Institute is dedicated to ensuring that Germany upholds and advocates for human rights at home and abroad.
To combat racial discrimination in the collection, storage, and processing of sensitive data by German police authorities, several measures can be implemented. These include enhancing data protection regulations, promoting transparency and accountability, gaining informed consent, employing diverse and representative data sets, establishing legal frameworks, and encouraging community engagement.
Major Takeaways
- The German Institute for Human Rights demands stricter implementation guidelines for data protection to prevent racial discrimination in German police authorities.
- The Institute criticizes preventive detention for climate activists, emphasizing that this is a violation of human rights and interferes with the freedom of assembly.
- The Human Rights Institute promotes lowering the voting age for Bundestag elections to 16 across all federal states.
- The Institute calls for greater protection of sensitive data, as the current regulations for the German police are not sufficient to prevent discrimination.
- The Human Rights Institute criticizes the use of preventive detention for up to 30 days in Bavaria to prevent further actions, viewing this as a violation of human rights.
- In response to the report, DIMR Director Beate Rudolf calls for clear and binding rules to ensure the protection of sensitive data in the police.
