Germany doesn't "give itself as many powers as it can". Just recently, the courts affirmed that even foreigners have a right to privacy that intelligence agenci

Germany doesn't "give itself as many powers as it can". Just recently, the courts affirmed that even foreigners have a right to privacy that intelligence agencies have to respect. Privacy regulation in Europe is the mot stringent anywhere, and contrary to popular myth it applies to governments just as it does to corporations and citizens. Conservatives have been clamoring for metadata retention requirements afor communication companies for about a decade or so, but all of their ideas failed either in parliament or in the courts. Video surveillance is illegal by default, and is only done in sensitive areas such as airports. Even as a private citizen, you can get fined for installing a camera that points at public spaces. Some landlord was even fined for installing a fake camera in the public staircase, because the possiblity of surveillance was considered harmful.