Transparency matters to us
Telecommunications companies are legally required to support security authorities with surveillance measures and provide certain data. Our commitment is clear: We make our role and actions under these requirements as transparent as possible.
In 2014, Deutsche Telekom became the first company in Germany to publish a Transparency Report. In 2016, after analyzing the relevant legal frameworks, we published the first international report for our subsidiaries. Since then, we have continued to develop our reporting.
Our current cross-country report provides an overview of government requests from the past year. These include surveillance measures involving telecommunications connections, as well as requests for information on account holders and traffic data. For the first time, the figures for Germany also include information on network blocking.
Measures for law enforcement authorities are taken solely on the basis of clear legal requirements. The relevant legal bases and responsible authorities are also included in the report.
How should these figures be interpreted?
The reported figures are comparable only to a limited extent. In some countries, for example, the number of requests is recorded, but not the measures actually implemented or the information provided.
Different data categories are recorded: traffic data (e.g., time, duration, and the connections involved) and subscriber data such as name, address, or date of birth. This also includes information used to assign IP addresses.
A single request may involve multiple lines or records. In turn, a record can contain multiple pieces of information, such as a phone number and device ID. As a result, customers with multiple connections also generate multiple records.
The same applies to mobile location requests: movements between Radio cells generate multiple records. Radio cell queries, which capture all devices during a specific period, are particularly extensive. In metropolitan areas, they can generate large volumes of data.
Information on Germany
Our commitment is clear: the highest level of technical security and consistent protection of our customers' data.
We carefully review all government requests to ensure they have a legal basis. We strictly uphold data protection and the confidentiality of telecommunications. Surveillance measures consistently follow the four-eyes principle. From a technical standpoint, we transmit the affected data only to the authorized authorities—Telekom itself has no access to the content of communications.
For the first time, the report also presents measures related to network blocking. These make an important contribution to protecting our customers online.
As part of Malware Protection, we specifically block malicious domains and IP addresses that are used, for example, to distribute malware or carry out phishing attacks. In the 2025 reporting year alone, we blocked 21,105,901 domains and 2,193 IP addresses. This allowed us to actively protect 684,590 customers from digital threats. DNS blocking is therefore a key component of our security architecture and helps us identify and defend against risks at an early stage.
DNS blocking measures are also implemented in the field of copyright protection on the basis of court decisions and in accordance with the recommendations of the Clearing Body for Copyright on the Internet (CUII). In addition, we implement legally mandated blocking orders relating to youth protection, combating extremist content, and protection against illegal financial services.
Our Security Policies
Our requirements for transparent and legally compliant conduct are set out in binding Security Policies for all companies in the Telekom Group. They provide the global framework for our actions.
