In episode 189 of “Follow the Rechtsstaat”, Prof. Niko Härting and Dr Stefan Brink discuss the rising number of cases before the social courts, state surveillance powers and current calls for the regulation of the digital space.
First, the two take a look at the significant rise in the number of cases filed with the Bavarian social courts. They then turn to the security debate and the question of how police surveillance powers should be assessed overall. One of the catalysts for this discussion is a pilot study on what is known as a ‘comprehensive surveillance assessment’.
In the final section, Härting and Brink discuss nine proposals for better management of the digital space. Among other things, they address the power of large US technology companies in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as the question of whether platform users should be required to identify themselves in future.