Germany: New government plans 'right to encryption'

From supporting open source software to the right to anonymity: The new coalition contract has it all. Finally, there will be a government in Germany that understands the need for encryption for all citizens to protect their private data and to defend themselves against malicious attackers on the internet. The right to privacy is protected as a fundamental right in the German constitution. "Among other things, the FDP parliamentary group is calling on the German government to support a right to encryption," said Jimmy Schulz in the debate. Such a right would help to increase "The acceptance and widespread use of encryption technologies among the population, the economy and public institutions. The same right that is needed in the analog world is also needed in the digital world." In December 2020, the European Council under a German presidency adopted a resolution called "Security through encryption and security despite encryption", which on the one hand underlines the importance of encryption for security, and on the other hand indirectly asks for backdoors to encryption for the authorities. The parties of the new German coalition have no plans for weakening encryption.