A recent report from a German government commission has proposed a significant digital overhaul of the social welfare system, aiming for greater citizen accessibility and efficiency. Key to this strategy is the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) to automate procedures and a proposed relaxation of data protection measures. This approach has raised concerns among welfare organizations about potential increased discrimination against vulnerable populations. The commission’s recommendations, totaling 26 measures, seek to unify social benefits, incentivize employment, and streamline legal requirements. A central element involves the development of a secure and sovereign technology platform for federal, state, and municipal governments, leveraging components of the "Deutschland-Stack" for consistent standards and interfaces. This digital backend is intended to support a user-friendly "social portal" in the frontend, consolidating access to benefits, applications, and official notifications for citizens. To facilitate inter-agency data sharing, the commission suggests utilizing the lifelong tax identification number as a unique personal identifier across different authorities. This move aims to merge administrative data more effectively, a concept previously explored by the government to create a more integrated public service infrastructure. The ambition is to make the social welfare system more transparent and readily accessible through these digital advancements.

Curated and translated by Europe Digital for our multilingual European audience.

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Publication: netzpolitik.org

Published: January 28, 2026 at 05:03 PM UTC

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