The Federal Authority Advocates for the Protection of IP Addresses
To strengthen efforts in shielding children from online predators, Germany's Data Protection Commissioner, Kerstin Claus, advocates for the compulsory retention of IP addresses. According to Claus, swift access to digital communication data can be pivotal in identifying wrongdoers, potentially rescuing children from imminent harm. This proposal receives backing from the Federal Criminal Police Office.
In the battle against child exploitation, Commissioner Kerstin Claus advocates for a mandatory storage of IP addresses by internet and mobile service providers. In cases of sexual abuse, expeditious access to stored communication data can be vital in identifying perpetrators and saving children from immediate danger, she explained to the German Press Agency. Sharing this belief is Benjamin Limbach, the Green Justice Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, who proclaimed a similar initiative in the Bundesrat earlier this week. "If our authorities suspect internet users are planning serious crimes, they should be legally authorized, after a court's approval, to discern the individuals behind the IP addresses," Limbach said. The goal is explicitly to safeguard IP addresses and not to store content, locations, or movement profiles.
Limbach anticipates federal government support for this proposal and the German Parliament amending the Telecommunications Act accordingly. The Green Party has shifted its stance on this issue, emphasizing it as a "minimally invasive intervention," not "massive data retention."
Access to stored data could reportedly aid in apprehending criminals. Claus argued that children may be rescued from "acute abuse situations." Particularly when investigative authorities suspect newly created, previously unknown content, the used computer can be traced through IP addresses. Often, IP addresses are "the only key to promptly and comprehensively aiding children."
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) also backs this initiative, as indicated by a 2021 report, which suggested storing IP addresses for 14 days could boost the success rate in identifying criminals. A corresponding 2022 test resulted in an identification rate increase from 41% to 80%. Although the Federal Ministry of Justice has previously rejected a widespread, uniform data storage, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser now supports this. Recent calls for a review of data retention regulations have arisen following a suspected terrorist attack in Solingen.
The Commission, specifically the Federal Criminal Police Office, endorses Commissioner Kerstin Claus' proposal for mandatory IP address storage by internet and mobile service providers. If authorized by a court, investigative authorities could use this data to swiftly identify individuals involved in potential child exploitation cases, potentially saving children from imminent harm.
