German Interior Ministry Reveals Decline in Silent SMS Surveillance (heise.de)

• Federal Police used 6,605 silent SMS in H2 2025.
• Compared to 47,951 in 2021, usage has dropped sharply.
• BKA data remains secret; IMSI catcher deployments also declined.

"The German Interior Ministry has released updated statistics on silent SMS (stealth pings) after years of secrecy. The Federal Police sent only 6,605 such messages in the second half of 2025, a historic low compared to 47,951 in 2021. Data from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) remains classified. The decline suggests a shift toward more modern surveillance methods."