AfD wants to stop 'Fake-Accounts' of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution - Germany's spy agency uses 287 fake accounts—now the far-right AfD wants them banned
Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz), uses so-called fake accounts on social media—a practice that has drawn sharp criticism from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Now, the party's faction in Brandenburg is pushing for a ban.
The AfD in Brandenburg's state parliament is demanding a prohibition on the intelligence agency's use of fake social media accounts. Such accounts deceive users and enable the abusive surveillance of citizens, argued AfD state lawmaker Lena Kotré. The opposition faction plans to submit a formal motion in the coming week calling for a ban on these "fake accounts."
According to Brandenburg's Interior Ministry, the Verfassungsschutz operates a total of 287 accounts on various platforms as part of its intelligence-gathering efforts. The agency provided this figure in response to two parliamentary inquiries from the AfD in January 2025 but declined to disclose further details. The AfD has criticized the ministry for withholding information about the accounts and filed a complaint with the state constitutional court last summer.
The ministry has argued that releasing detailed information about the accounts could severely compromise the effectiveness of the Verfassungsschutz's operations and endanger the safety of its employees. It warned that disclosing such details would significantly undermine the agency's ability to gather intelligence, ultimately harming Brandenburg's security interests.
The AfD faction has further accused the Verfassungsschutz of potentially using these accounts as agents provocateurs—suggesting that they could be inciting criminal activity. Fake accounts are covert social media profiles designed to conceal the user's true identity.
The Verfassungsschutz's mandate includes monitoring and analyzing extremist movements as well as countering espionage. The agency also relies on undercover sources. In Brandenburg, the state branch of the Verfassungsschutz classifies the AfD as a confirmed far-right extremist organization.
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