People residing in Germany without German citizenship have their personal data automatically stored in a centralised database that can be accessed and shared by more than 14,000 government agencies. The data fields in the register include personal data regarding identity, country of origin, and employment. In some cases, such as for asylum seekers, the register includes health information, biometric data, information on education, employment, and details on the asylum process.
GFF argue that this violates data protection rights and is discriminatory as German citizens are not subject to the same level of data extraction and storage. GFF are undertaking pre-litigation research to prepare for a case challenging privacy violations of all individuals living or residing in Germany without German citizenship. After completing their research, GFF aim to take litigation, pushing the courts to rule that the use of this database is unconstitutional and must be stopped.
Restricted data protection rights for non-citizens in Germany
Organisation Name
Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF)
Country/Jurisdiction
Germany
Thematic Area
Privacy and data protection
Current Status
Research complete
Grant type
Pre-Litigation Research
Description
People residing in Germany without German citizenship have their personal data automatically stored in a centralised database that can be accessed and shared by more than 14,000 government agencies. The data fields in the register include personal data regarding identity, country of origin, and employment. In some cases, such as for asylum seekers, the register includes health information, biometric data, information on education, employment, and details on the asylum process.
GFF argue that this violates data protection rights and is discriminatory as German citizens are not subject to the same level of data extraction and storage.
GFF carried out research to prepare for litigation to challenge privacy violations of all individuals living or residing in Germany without German citizenship. They completed and published their research and a legal opinion in German in January 2022.
GFF now aim to take litigation, pushing the courts to rule that the use of this database is unconstitutional and must be stopped.
"...this violates data protection rights and is discriminatory as German citizens are not subject to the same level of data extraction and storage"
Strategic Goal
That people living in Germany without German citizenship receive the same data protection standards as German citizens.