By IRNA,
Berlin : Germany’s upper chamber here Friday approved a disputed bill aimed at widening the counter-terror competencies of police and the Federal Crime Office (BKA).
The new revised bill which is to become law on January 1, will allow authorities to spy out the homes and personal computers of not only terror suspects but also doctors, lawyers and journalists.
Critics of the bill have argued that the new law would infringe on the rights of individuals and was therefore unconstitutional.
In February, Germany’s constitutional court restricted online police searches, ruling against a law which permits authorities in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia to snoop on computer users.
The constitutional court argued in its decision that “the basic right on ensuring confidentiality and integrity of information technology systems” had to be made possible.
The court added online police searches were only permitted when there were concrete dangers to the lives of people or the existence of the state.
The German government has repeatedly called for online searches in its war against terrorism, organize crimes, child pornography, neo-Nazi propaganda and other types of crimes.
German lawyer and journalist groups have continuously rejected online police snooping.
Last year, the German Federal Supreme Court (BGH) ruled based on the German Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO), online police spying was illegal.
The court argued that the StPO had no provisions to allow the authorities to perform secret online snooping.