Federal Data Protection Act: German government proposes amendments

Posted on 16.05.2024

The German Federal Cabinet approved a Draft Law, aiming to amend the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). 

Among the key changes, the institutionalisation in the BDSG of the Data Protection Conference (the independent body of the federal and state data protection Supervisory Authorities), the supervision of a single German SA over companies and institutions that process personal data for scientific, historical and statistical purposes and act as joint controllers, the clarification of business and trade secrets constituting rights and freedoms of ‘other persons’, the creation of a new legal basis for scoring. 

Following the opinion of the legislative body representing the sixteen federated states (Bundesrat), the Draft Law will be discussed and possibly adopted by the Federal Parliament (Bundestag).