14 DAY TRIAL // In the wake of recent terrorist attacks, the German government is rethinking its approach to cyber-security, and according to Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, it is readying plans to modify several German laws and create a new cyber security unit inside its police force.
The German official announced his plans last week, on Thursday, speaking at a press conference, according to German news site Global Government Forum.
Germany creates ZITiS to fight terrorists and scan the Dark Web
The Interior Minister said the new cyber security division would be called Zentrale Stelle für Informationstechnik im Sicherheitsbereich (ZITiS), which stands for the Central Office for Information in Security Sphere.
The official added that the new division would have to develop "methods, products and strategies to fight criminality and terrorism on the internet."
He also pointed out that their tools must have offensive capabilities, and a lot of their agency's efforts would be put in mapping the Dark Web, a haven for cybercrime and other illegal activities like drugs and weapons trade.
The country's push for a cyber division comes weeks after several terrorist incidents, which officials claim could have been prevented with a better policy regarding cyberspace surveillance.
Germany also plans other laws to fight terrorism offline
But de Maizière's plans don't stop here. The minister said his cabinet also intended to simplify a series of German laws in order to prevent future terrorist attacks.
He mentioned plans to strip Germans with dual nationality off their German citizenship if they fight for Islamist militant groups, as well as plans to make it a criminal offense if a person is promoting terrorism, online or offline.
Additionally, because most of the attackers who carried out heinous acts in the past year had mental issues, de Maizière said the government wanted to loosen the laws regarding patient-doctor confidentiality so that doctors could tip off authorities if they feel something is about to happen.