Intelligence Services Reform: What Will the BND and Federal Domestic Intelligence Soon Be Allowed to Do?

TVS News KI redaktionell betreut präsentiert Intelligence Services Reform: What Will the BND and Federal Domestic Intelligence Soon Be Allowed to Do?

Imagine your Wi-Fi router becomes the target of a foreign intelligence service tomorrow – and the BND is allowed to strike back. Sounds like Hollywood, but it's exactly the scenario the Bundestag has been grappling with since this week. In Berlin, deliberations are kicking off on a reform that will reorganize the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), and the Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD).

What used to sound mostly like filing paperwork and wiretapping phones could change significantly. Specifically, the question is which active cyber powers the BND will receive in the future – that is, whether and under what conditions German hackers will be allowed to cripple hostile infrastructure.

We'll show you what's in the plans so far, which points are particularly contentious – and what all of this could mean for your fundamental right to informational self-determination.

Intelligence Services Reform – What's It Actually About?

According to the Handelsblatt, at its core this is about a comprehensive reform that also affects domestic intelligence. The Bundestag is launching deliberations on it – the reform counts among the larger domestic policy projects of this legislative term.

Until now, German intelligence services were primarily allowed to observe, collect, and analyze. Actively intervening in foreign systems was legally a gray area, permitted only in narrow exceptions. That's set to change.

BND as a Cyber Actor: Crippling Hacker Groups and Sabotaging Supply Chains?

The Handelsblatt puts it bluntly: the BND should in future be capable of crippling hacker groups and sabotaging supply chains. That would put Germany in a position to act in a domain where the US, the UK, and Israel have so far been considered the pacesetters.

On its face, that sounds like a purely security question. But it's also a question of principle: Who controls such operations? Which agency authorizes a cyber strike? And what happens when civilian infrastructure is hit – hospitals, energy grids, payment systems?

Domestic Intelligence and MAD: Not Just Spectators of the Reform

The reform explicitly doesn't only concern the BND. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Military Counterintelligence Service are also under scrutiny. The backdrop is long-standing deficiencies that came to light in recent years – keywords: NSU files, right-wing extremist networks, and the Wirecard affair.

A central goal: clearer rules on what data may be stored, for how long, and who is allowed to look at it. Existing regulations are considered complicated and partly contradictory – the reform appears to aim to clean things up.

What the Reform Means for Citizens

Supporters argue: if you want to defend yourself against hybrid attacks, you need the same tools as the attackers. Critics see it as a blank check for a new level of mass surveillance – not least because independent oversight has traditionally been considered weak.

For you as a citizen, this concretely means: the coming months will decide whether your digital traces may in future only be read along or also actively influenced – by an agency that can act without an individualized court order.

What Happens Next in the Bundestag?

Deliberations are expected to take place in the responsible committees – particularly the Interior Committee and the Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Panel. Before a law comes into force, experience shows there are several readings, hearings, and possible amendment motions to get through. A final decision is not expected before early 2027.

We're keeping an eye on the topic – as soon as concrete draft laws are on the table, you'll find out here what changes for you.