Meike Kamp, Berlin’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, presented her 2025 Annual Report to the House of Representatives today. According to the document, data protection officers received around 50% more inquiries and complaints last year than in 2024. In total, they received 9,224 submissions; 2,856 of these were complaints and 6,368 were requests for advice.
Among cases where personal data was illegally obtained, noteworthy is the spring 2025 hacker attack against BVG resulting in the theft of 180,000 customer records. Apart from this, there were numerous instances in which, for example, police officers and medical staff accessed people’s data despite lack of authorisation, sometimes for personal reasons.
Furthermore, the increasing scope of AI deployment raises questions as to the security of personal information and the degree to which it can be accessed by algorithms. Although AI surveillance is being widely rolled out across the city, the police would like to see an even greater scope of AI use permitted in the analysis of personal data. As such, Kamp calls for clear legal frameworks and technical safeguards to prevent AI applications used in Berlin’s administration, policing and other institutions from illegitimately processing our data.
