(CNN) —
Germany wants access to data collected by voice assistants like Alexa and Siri – a proposal set to spark debate in the notoriously privacy-focused country.
“To fight crime effectively, it’s very important that federal and state authorities should have access to data collected by these devices,” a spokesperson for the German Federal Ministry of the Interior said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The spokesperson added that the issue will be discussed at a conference of German states’ interior ministers next week.
Eavesdropping is a politically sensitive subject in Germany. Cybersecurity expert Sven Herpig said German policies have traditionally been supportive of encryption and privacy.