Simulation of Security Scenario: Asog-Novelle Report
In the evolving landscape of law enforcement and surveillance, two German states, Berlin and Bavaria, have taken distinct paths following the second amendment to the General Security and Public Order Act (ASOG).
Berlin, grappling with urban security challenges, has embraced a more technologically aggressive approach. The city has significantly expanded police powers to implement AI-driven video surveillance specifically targeting crime hotspots. This includes the deployment of advanced facial recognition and behavioural analysis technologies in real-time to identify suspects and prevent criminal activities proactively.
The increase in surveillance cameras equipped with AI capabilities in public spaces prone to higher crime rates, such as busy transit hubs and nightlife districts, has led to concerns about privacy and civil liberties. However, Berlin's government maintains that these measures are necessary to adapt to modern urban security challenges.
In contrast, Bavaria's approach to the second ASOG amendment reflects a more conservative stance on law enforcement and surveillance. While Bavaria also utilizes enhanced police powers for video surveillance at crime hotspots, the deployment of AI technologies is more cautious and subject to stricter oversight. The Bavarian approach focuses on balancing increased surveillance capabilities with strong data protection safeguards and judicial review to prevent misuse of AI surveillance.
The Left Party, a political force in Germany, has raised concerns about the black-red coalition not adhering to the results of scientists who evaluate laws and political measures. The party criticises the potential reinstatement of the term "public order" in the Assembly Freedom Act, stating that the goal should not be to make assemblies as convenient as possible for the police, but rather to ensure the right to assembly as well as possible.
The Left Party also advocates for a shift in focus from increasing police powers to funding prevention, victim protection, and offender work. They believe that the current ASOG reform does not make sense in this regard and that it serves more to simulate security rather than empirically reduce crime.
In the debate on security versus privacy in the era of AI-driven law enforcement technologies, both Berlin and Bavaria have increased police powers but implement them in ways consistent with their regional political and social contexts. This divergence highlights the broader German debate on striking the right balance between security and privacy.
The discussion about where police deployment makes sense and where there are better alternatives is still in its early stages, according to the Left Party. They believe that there are examples of sensible approaches that should be tested in Germany, such as community emergency calls for simple, socially or health-related forms of crime, which could address problems caused by need or poverty without the police.
The use of cell tower data collection for risk prevention is problematic, the Left Party argues, due to the large amount of data collected and the difficulty in filtering out useful information. They express skepticism about the knife ban zones being extended to the entire public transport system, stating that it brings little effect and disproportionately targets migrant-looking and marginalized individuals.
In an interview, Niklas Schrader, the interior policy spokesman for the Left Party in the House of Representatives, discussed the security policy of the Berlin Senate and possible alternatives. The Left Party supports democratic control of security authorities, with the Landesbeauftragter für Polizei being a first step, but calls for further expansion of its powers. They also suggest a longer ban on entering the shared apartment for perpetrators of domestic violence and the use of electronic ankle monitors in the area of domestic violence, while criticising the coalition for cutting funds for prevention, victim protection, and offender work.
- Despite Berlin's intensified use of AI-driven video surveillance for crime prevention, concernsabout privacy and civil liberties have arisen, prompting debates on striking the right balance between security and privacy that reflect the broader German discourse.
- With Bavaria adopting a more cautious approach to AI surveillance, emphasizing data protection safeguards and judicial review, it is positioned as a contrast to Berlin's technological aggressive approach in law enforcement and politics, raising questions about the appropriate balance in the evolving landscape of policy-and-legislation, crime-and-justice, and general-news.
