TDDDG: Telekommunikation-Digitale-Dienste-Datenschutz-Gesetz (Germany)
What the TDDDG covers, and what it means for your website analytics
Official name: Telekommunikation-Digitale-Dienste-Datenschutz-Gesetz (TDDDG). In force since 1 December 2021 as the TTDSG and renamed in May 2024, it sets German rules on cookies and privacy in telecoms and digital services.
See all privacy lawsAt a glance
Germany's rules on cookies and digital privacy
The TDDDG sets German rules on privacy in telecoms and digital services. For websites, § 25 is what matters: storing information on a visitor's device or reading it from there needs consent, unless it's needed to send a message or strictly necessary for a service the visitor asked for.
§ 25 puts the ePrivacy Directive's cookie rule into German law. The GDPR still applies to any personal data collected.
Who it covers
Websites, apps and digital services offered in Germany, plus telecoms providers
What it means for websites
Cookies, browser storage and device fingerprinting all fall under § 25
Who enforces it
German state data protection authorities, and the BfDI for telecoms providers
Maximum fines
Up to €300,000 for breaching § 25
Further reading
Everything you need on this law
The TDDDG
The current text of Germany’s Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act, in German.
Read the official textDSK guidance on digital services
Germany’s data protection authorities on cookies, tracking and consent under the TDDDG, in German.
Read the guidanceEDPB guidance on device access
The EU regulators’ 2024 guidelines on the ePrivacy rule that § 25 TDDDG brings into German law.
Read the guidelinesThe ePrivacy Directive
The EU directive behind § 25 TDDDG, which sets the cookie rules for every EU country.
Read our ePrivacy guideThe BDSG
Germany’s federal data protection act, which covers what happens to personal data once it’s collected.
Read our BDSG guideMore privacy laws
Guides to 14 more laws, from the GDPR to the CCPA, and what each one asks of your website.
See all privacy lawsTWIPLA and the TDDDG
Built to meet § 25 TDDDG without a consent banner
§ 25 TDDDG requires consent before information is stored on a visitor's device or read from it. In Maximum Privacy Mode, TWIPLA stores nothing on the visitor's device and reads nothing already stored there, so § 25 consent isn't needed.
It relies only on information the browser sends with every request anyway. Germany's data protection authorities (DSK) don't treat values a browser sends on its own as access to the device.
- No cookies or browser storage, and no fingerprinting
- No JavaScript queries of device properties such as screen resolution
- Developed with legal review, and advised by Reed Smith Munich
The GDPR still governs any personal data processed afterward, and for TWIPLA that's covered by legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f). TWIPLA's three other privacy modes use fingerprinting, so they do need consent under § 25.
Proof, not promises
How TWIPLA meets § 25 TDDDG
GDPR & ePrivacy statement
How each TWIPLA privacy mode handles cookies, device access and consent under § 25 TDDDG.
Read the statementConsentless analytics, explained
Why Maximum Privacy Mode needs no consent under § 25 TDDDG, with the full legal reasoning.
Read the legal caseCookieless tracking
How all four privacy modes measure your visitors without setting a single cookie.
See how it worksPrivacy questions, answered
Answers on JavaScript and device access, the points data protection officers raise most.
Read the answersTechnical University of Munich
How a leading German university dropped its cookie banner and now counts every visitor to its website.
Read the success storyLegal disclaimer
Helpful guidance, not legal advice
This page explains the law in general terms. Laws change, and how they apply depends on your business, your visitors and how you configure TWIPLA.
Unless another mode is named, statements about compliance refer to Maximum Privacy Mode, our default setting. For advice on your situation, please consult a qualified legal professional.
Questions about how TWIPLA fits this law? Email our team at consentless@twipla.com.
