German constitutional court rules against automatic screening of license plates

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, February 6, 2019
Adjust font size:

BERLIN, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The German Federal Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled against current practices and regulations allowing for the automatic screening of license plates in the German federal states of Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hesse.

The highest German court in Karlsruhe declared that the regulations on screening and comparing license plates with data such as police searches were partly unconstitutional. Three drivers had filed a lawsuit against the procedure.

Police in Germany are using the so-called automatic license plate reading systems (AKLS) for different purposes, such as securing an area during major events, fighting burglaries or searching for dangerous criminals.

AKLS, used throughout Germany, records the license plates of all passing vehicles together with the location, date, time and driving direction.

"New technical possibilities to support search and investigation activities of the security authorities are urgently necessary. They must, however, be legitimized with the greatest possible care," commented Rainer Wendt, federal chairman of the German Police Union (DPolG).

According to Germany's interior ministry, the technology was deployed on a large scale for the first time in 2012 in order to find an unidentified driver in Germany who had fired at other vehicles from his car on motorways.

In Bavaria, AKLS devices have been used since 2006. The Bavarian government told the German court in 2017 that it was using 19 stationary systems at 12 locations and also two mobile devices, and that in 2016, an average 8.9 million license plates passed the system each month.

The court ruled that Bavaria did not have the necessary legal competence to employ the system for automatic screening of license plates for border control purposes. According to the court, the use was only permissible "for the prevention of serious criminal offenses or certain criminal offenses under assembly law".

Konstantin von Notz, deputy leader of the Greens' parliamentary group, welcomed the Karlsruhe court's decision. "The ruling clearly shows the limits for automated mass surveillance," he said.

The decision by the Federal Constitutional Court might have an effect on a new law passed in November last year, which would make it possible to automatically record drivers' failure to comply with driving bans for older diesel vehicles in Germany.

Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer should now "immediately stamp out" his law for a "diesel dragnet," commented Oliver Luksic, transport policy spokesman of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). Enditem

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter