According to the magazine, the counterintelligence agency sees the movement's activity as "hostile to democracy and/or dangerous for the state's security." The surveillance will involve collecting information, keeping an eye on their meetings and intercepting e-mail letters.
Regional counterintelligence offices have put COVID-19 dissidents on surveillance before.
The Querdenken movement initially emerged in the German city of Stuttgart, where its supporters massively protested against COVID-19 restrictions, deeming them a constitutional violation, even though the constitutional court recognized the measures legal.
Since August, the movement has carried out multiple demonstrations in Berlin, including near the Bundestag, clashing with the police over non-compliance with COVID-19 restrictions and ban on mass events.