Federal Data Protection Officer Calls Coalition's Freedom of Information Plans 'Undemocratic'

Germany's Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Information Freedom, Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider, has sharply criticized the federal government's proposed amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. She warned that the coalition's plans could significantly curtail transparency and effectively dismantle the 20-year-old law.

Specht-Riemenschneider stated that the government must justify in each case why transparency should not apply, a principle she fears will be abandoned. The proposed changes, which would limit information requests to natural persons with a legitimate interest, specifically focusing on German and EU citizens residing in Germany, are seen as discriminatory. "This would discriminate against a large number of people living in Germany and expatriate citizens abroad," she told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND).

The commissioner also anticipates an increase in administrative workload and costs for processing requests. She described the potential outcome as an "undemocratic two-class information freedom," where only specific groups would have access to government information. Furthermore, the plans suggest anonymizing the names of employees in official disclosures and could introduce special protection needs for information related to critical infrastructure, espionage, counter-terrorism, and scientific research.

Other political groups and unions have also voiced strong opposition. The Left Party called the plans an "attack on press freedom and the public's right to control state action," fearing increased bureaucratic hurdles and reduced democratic oversight. The German Journalists' Union (dju) accused the government of intending to create a "black box," withholding information from the public and hindering journalistic work.