Which article covers online surveillance (more intrusive) in Germany?

• A. Art. 100a
• B. Art. 100b
• C. Art. 100e
• D. Art. 102

Answer: (B)

In German criminal procedure, online data access that digs into what's stored on computers or online services is handled by a provision specifically for online searches. This measure is considered more intrusive because it goes beyond listening to or watching communications and actually opens and examines the data stored on devices or in the cloud—files, emails, logs, and other private content. It requires judicial permission and strict safeguards, reflecting its heightened invasiveness.

The other provisions cover different investigative tools, such as intercepting communications in transit. They don’t authorize directly searching and inspecting stored digital data in the same way, so they aren’t the ones that address online data searches. Therefore, the article that covers online surveillance most intrusively is the online search provision.