Germany is considered an economically highly developed country, but when it comes to digitalisation, the Federal Republic often falls short of its own standards in international comparison. The sluggish modernisation of the digital infrastructure, a contradictory data protection regime and increasing state surveillance measures raise fundamental questions about the country’s digital sovereignty.
Digitalisation: An Endless Tragedy in Germany
Although the German government has announced ambitious plans for digitalisation in recent years, implementation has fallen far short of expectations. The sluggish expansion of the fibre optic network, the inadequate digitalisation of administration and the faltering transformation in the education sector illustrate the structural deficits. While other countries in Europe are consistently focusing on digital administrative solutions, German citizens continue to struggle with analogue administrative processes and fax machines in public offices. In particular, digital identity and secure e-government solutions are still hardly widespread in Germany.
Data Protection: Progress or Strengthening Tech Companies?
Germany boasts one of the strictest data protection regulations in the world. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an important foundation for the protection of personal data. At the same time, practice shows that large tech companies find ways to circumvent data protection regulations, while small companies and start-ups suffer from the bureaucratic burden. There are also repeated political endeavours to undermine data protection through surveillance measures.
State Surveillance: A gradual Loss of Controll
While data protection is often upheld in relation to companies, the state is constantly expanding its surveillance options. The ongoing discussion about data retention, the expansion of state trojans and far-reaching powers for security authorities threaten the informational self-determination of citizens. The balance between security and freedom is becoming increasingly unbalanced, with fundamental rights coming under increasing pressure.
The Digital Policy of the ‘Traffic Light’ Coalition
At the beginning of its term in office, the traffic light coalition promised a comprehensive modernisation of the digital infrastructure and a reform of data protection. Some progress was indeed made, for example with the Online Access Act and the digital ID card. Nevertheless, many major promises remained unfulfilled: Fibre optic expansion is progressing, but Germany still comes last in a European comparison. At the same time, the digitalisation of administration has fallen short of expectations. There were hardly any notable improvements in the area of data protection, and the tightening of security policy legislation further increased concerns about state surveillance.
What can Germany expect under a new government?
Conjectures and predictions should of course always be taken with a healthy dose of scepticism. However, it is to be expected that with the foreseeable return of a grand coalition, the trend towards more state control and a stronger focus on security laws will probably continue. It is also to be expected that surveillance measures will be further expanded, while data protection concerns will increasingly take a back seat. In digital policy, important impetus may be provided by a possible new digital ministry. However, the massive need for public investment in any infrastructure could mean that the necessary financial resources for digitalisation are still not made available. There is therefore a risk that Germany will continue to miss out on digital innovations, while at the same time the state secures ever deeper insights into the lives of its citizens.
Pascal founded ViOffice together with Jan in the fall of 2020. He mainly takes care of marketing, finance and sales. After his degrees in political science, economics and applied statistics, he continues to work in scientific research. With ViOffice, he wants to provide access to secure software from Europe for everyone and especially support non-profit associations in their digitalization.