View source for Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information

{{short description|German government position}}{{Onesource|date=June 2025}}

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{{Expand German|Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit|date=November 2024}}<!-- Please do not add information about Battle for Dream Island. See [[WP:BFDI]] for details. Repeat offenders will be blocked from editing. -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox Law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
| nativename        = Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit
| commonname        = 
| abbreviation      = BfDI
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| logo              = 20241001-BfDI-logo.svg
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| formed            = {{Start date and age|1978|01|01|df=y|p=y}}
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| country           = Germany
| federal           = Yes
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| legaljuris        = The BfDI is a completely independent authority not being under any external supervision.
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| headquarters      = [[Bonn]], North Rhine-Westphalia
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| minister1pfo      = 
| chief1name        = [[Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider]]
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| website           = http://www.bfdi.bund.de
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The '''Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information''' ('''BfDI''',  {{langx|de|Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit}}), referring to either a person or the agency they lead, is tasked with supervising [[Information privacy|data protection]] as well as acting in an [[ombudsman]] function in [[freedom of information]]. The latter was introduced with the [[Freedom of information laws by country#Germany|German Freedom of Information Act]] on 1 January 2006. In 2016, it became an independent federal agency under EU regulations.<ref>Sertan Sanderson (17 June 2015), [http://www.dw.com/en/commissioner-slams-data-retention-policies/a-18523077 Commissioner slams data retention policies] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]''.</ref>

==Organization==
Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act, the title was "Federal Commissioner for Data Protection (BfD)".

The Commissioner is nominated by the [[German Federal Government]] and elected by the [[Deutscher Bundestag|German Bundestag]]. During their time in office, the Commissioner receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11. In this regard, the Commissioner's status is that of a public law official but not that of a civil servant. The Commissioner's term of office is five years, and they can be reelected once.

The Federal Commissioner's budget is accounted for in its budgetary section. The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to the Commissioner under legal regulations. Given the Commissioner's independent status, positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by themself exclusively.

==Responsibilities==
The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art. 51 of the [[General Data Protection Regulation]] (GDPR). According to Art. 52 GDPR, the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority. His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art. 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ''([[Bundesdatenschutzgesetz]])''. His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act. His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at the federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers. The public sector of the [[States of Germany|Laender]], as well as the remaining private sector, is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender. The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report (Art. 59 GDPR).

The right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner regarding persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner (FDPA sec 13, para 5). He is also authorized to decide about his employees' refusal to give evidence.

== List of commissioners ==
<div style="text-align:right; float:right; margin-left:5px">
<timeline>
ImageSize  = width:200 Height:400
PlotArea   = left:40 right:0 bottom:80 top:20
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:14/02/1978 till:04/04/2025
TimeAxis   = orientation:vertical format:yyyy
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1980
ScaleMinor = increment:5 start:1980
Colors=
 id:BDB value:rgb(0.7,0.7,0.7)

PlotData=
 bar:Datenschutzbeauftragte color:BDB width:20 fontsize:M align:left shift:(20,-5) mark:(line,white)

 from:start      till:16/05/1983 text:[[Hans_Peter_Bull]] color:red
 from:16/05/1983 till:09/06/1988 text:[[Reinhold_Baumann]] color:BDB
 from:09/06/1988 till:30/06/1993 text:[[Alfred_Einwag]] color:BDB
 from:01/07/1993 till:17/12/2003 text:[[Joachim_Jacob]] color:yellow
 from:17/12/2003 till:16/12/2013 text:[[Peter_Schaar]] color:green
 from:06/01/2014 till:05/01/2019 text:[[Andrea_Voßhoff]] color:black
 from:07/01/2019 till:06/01/2024 text:[[Ulrich_Kelber]] color:red

 from:03/09/2024 till:end text:[[Louisa_Specht-Riemenschneider]] color:BDB

</timeline>
</div>
* [[Hans Peter Bull]] (14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983)
* {{Interlanguage link|Reinhold Baumann|de}} (16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988)
* {{Interlanguage link|Alfred Einwag|de}} (9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993)
* {{Interlanguage link|Joachim Jacob|de|Joachim Jacob (Verwaltungsjurist)}} (1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003)
* {{Interlanguage link|Peter Schaar|de}} (17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013)
* [[Andrea Voßhoff]] (19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019)
* [[Ulrich Kelber]] (7 January 2019 to 6 January 2024)

* {{Interlanguage link|Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider|de}} (3 September 2024 to present)

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== See also ==
* [[Information commissioner]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category inline}}

{{Privacy}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Germany|Law}}
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[[Category:Data protection authorities]]
[[Category:Federal authorities in Bonn]]
[[Category:Federal law enforcement agencies of Germany]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1978]]
[[Category:1978 establishments in West Germany]]