KASTEL kontrovers: We were at the panel discussion

Senior public prosecutor Tomke Beddies (head of the Cybercrime Centre in Karlsruhe), Manuel Atug (internet activist), Dr Jan Wacke (deputy state data protection officer for Baden-Württemberg) and Prof. Jörn Müller-Quade (spokesperson for KASTEL Security Research Labs) took part in the discussion. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Dorina Gumm (Lübeck University of Applied Sciences).

One fundamental question that ran through the discussion was the relationship between security and freedom. How much freedom can we give up to ensure security? One example is the fight against cybercrime, which requires access to the digital lives of suspects. Opinions differed on when this is necessary and how the legal situation should be regulated. Whether data retention is permissible and what technical solutions are or will be available – the discussion did not lead to any conclusive result.

Despite the controversies, valuable insights were gained – both by the participants in the discussion and by the audience. The latter also had their say at the end of the event and were able to ask the experts their questions.

We are already looking forward to the next edition of ‘KASTEL kontrovers’ from KASTEL Security Research Labs.