Bottom line: German police authorities have demonstrably unlawfully purchased data from commercial data brokers and used it in investigations.
Research by netzpolitik.org and Bavarian Broadcasting shows that police authorities from at least two German states have acquired and used data from commercial data brokers — a practice that violates data protection law.
Joint research by netzpolitik.org and BR documents the purchase of data broker data by police authorities from at least two German states. This data originates from commercial sources and is used by security authorities in investigative activities.
For CISOs and data protection officers, this practice is relevant because it demonstrates how institutional action exceeds the boundaries of lawfulness. The use of information purchased from data brokers by authorities occurs outside established legal frameworks and violates data protection principles. This reveals a security gap in governmental compliance management: even public institutions are subject to data protection obligations that are violated by this approach.
netzpolitik.org had collected corresponding indicators of suspicion for some time and has now verified this research with media support. The cases raise questions about governmental data protection audits and the monitoring of procurement processes — topics that are also gaining weight under the NIS2 framework and other regulatory regimes.
Source: borncity.com · Published 3 June 2026
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