August 15, 2016
In the wake of recent terrorist attacks, the German government is rethinking its approach toward cyber-security, and according to Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, the government 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 will be called Zentrale Stelle für Informationstechnik im Sicherheitsbereich (ZITiS), which stands for the Central Office for Information in Security Sphere.
The official says the new division will have to develop “methods, products and strategies to fight criminality and terrorism on the internet.”
He also said their tools must have offensive capabilities, and a lot of their agency’s efforts will 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 by a better policy regarding cyberspace surveillance.
Germany also plans other laws to fight terrorism offline