Police law Thuringia: "Have, have, have" and then see what happens

Protesters gathered outside the Thuringia state parliament on Thursday to oppose a proposed expansion of the Police Task Force Act, known as the PAG. The demonstration was organized by the newly formed movement "ThürPAG stoppen," which has already collected over 3,400 signatures in its petition against the legislation. Activists set up a pavilion with an information stand, distributing flyers to inform passersby about the debate taking place inside the legislature. The group, led by David Sommer and Alexis Wagenfeld, argues that the planned law would significantly expand state surveillance capabilities, raising concerns among citizens about privacy and civil liberties. The proposed law includes provisions for advanced surveillance technologies such as metadata analysis using artificial intelligence similar to systems developed by the company Palantir, automated behavioral monitoring through video cameras, facial recognition software capable of scanning biometric data online, license plate scanners, drone-based video surveillance, and electronic ankle bracelets. These measures have drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and opposition parties alike. The minority government, composed of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the party of democratic socialism (BSW), requires support from the opposition to pass the bill. The opposition consists solely of the Left Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The Left Party has expressed substantial concerns about the proposed AI-driven surveillance measures and stated in a press release prior to the committee meeting that they would challenge the law in court if passed in its current form. They argue that the draft violates constitutional rights and could enable authoritarian practices reminiscent of regimes hostile to democracy. Ronald Hande, the spokesperson for the Left Party's internal affairs committee in the Thuringian state parliament, criticized the proposed police law as creating a high-risk surveillance architecture under constitutional law. He warned that the tools being sought by the state are commonly used in authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes to monitor their populations. Numerous experts have submitted written statements strongly criticizing the draft law. During the oral expert hearing currently underway in the state parliament, fundamental concerns were raised regarding the potential impact of these surveillance technologies. Tino Melzer, the state data protection commissioner, spoke in the first session, highlighting the new dimension of police work represented by the automatic evaluation of video streams. He emphasized the intensified infringement on basic rights affecting many individuals who pose no threat. Melzer pointed out the susceptibility of these systems to errors, noting that an embrace could be misinterpreted as an attack. This could lead to innocent individuals being subjected to further scrutiny. He highlighted the issue of covert video analysis, which allows affected persons no opportunity to defend themselves against such monitoring. According to the draft law, if automated behavioral control triggers an alert, individuals can be automatically tracked through a network of cameras. However, before this occurs, a person must assess the perceived risk situation. Melzer criticized this intermediate step, suggesting it might often fail in complex situations. He called for the complete removal of video-based AI from the proposal, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in surveillance practices.