Navigation and service

Mis­sion and work­ing meth­ods

The German domestic intelligence services are an important part of our country’s security architecture. By gathering and analysing information on extremist and terrorist efforts as well as on activities by foreign intelligence services, the German domestic intelligence services carry out the important task of preventive intelligence collection. This is vital to protect the free democratic basic order and thus everyone living in Germany.

Protecting the constitution

Protecting the constitution

Acting as an early warning system, the German domestic intelligence services first and foremost have the task of protecting the absolute and unalterable principles and values underlying our democratic state governed by the rule of law: the free democratic basic order.

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Information gathering

Information gathering

Reliable information is necessary to keep the Federal Republic of Germany safe from terrorism and political as well as religious extremism. The German domestic intelligence services obtain most of their information from open and generally accessible sources, but the use of covert techniques is also indispensable for information gathering.

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Analysis and reporting

Analysis and reporting

Analysis is a distinct area of the German domestic intelligence services’ work, but it is of course not carried out in isolation from information gathering. Instead, the respective units work in close cooperation to fulfil the services’ statutory mission.

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Supervision and oversight

Supervision and oversight

There are strict rule-of-law standards for the work performed by the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV); in addition, oversight of BfV is more rigorous than for almost any other public authority. This is also true for the domestic intelligence services of the federal states. A number of levels and mechanisms exist to ensure that powers are not misused and competences are not exceeded.

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National and international cooperation

National and international cooperation

In a world that is completely interconnected at almost every level, societies have become more vulnerable. Extremists and terrorists seize every opportunity to take advantage of weaknesses. To protect the internal security of the Federal Republic of Germany, it is therefore all the more important that the German domestic intelligence services cooperate closely with the other security agencies in Germany as well as with foreign partner services at international level.

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