It needs be recognized that, in the words of the FAZ (Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung - the leading paper in Frankfurt and sort of similar to the WSJ for us) this decision was awaited by the average person, with some trepidation, like no decision before it.

In other words - this was viewed by the average person as vitally important.

This decision is absolutely huge - make no mistake about it.  And people need to get some clarity in their vision so they can understand it.  

The papers also make clear that the judges made (and had to make, in coming to this decision) a fundamental choice between personal rights and privacy on the one hand, and "security" on the other.  They chose personal rights and privacy.

I've also been looking at a paper from Leipzig, in the old East Germany, and they note that in coming to its decision, the judges had to construe Article I, section 2 in conjunction with Article I, section 1 of the German Constitution.  As I understand them, these deal with fundamental rights.

In another article, a leading data-protection (conpmuter security) consultant opined that this was a huge success for citizens, and that the Court went further than anyone expected in protecting individual rights.  Moreover, it appears (and I'll defer to people more expert than I) that the judicially-issued and supervised warrant requirement, under German law, is much more stringent than the requirements under US law for warrants.  

People are entitled to intellectual searching and self-expression, no matter what.  This decision protects that.

And, as I noted in my post on this topic in the open thread below, the commentator rightly observed that now, privacy in the computer is as protected as privacy in the bedroom.

I wish someone would take up that line, in the NSA/FISA fight.  Something like "your computer privacy is as sacred as your bedroom privacy" or something similar (I'm not a copy-writer).

Because that's what it's about.

Moreover, the judgment appears to extend not only to the personal computer in the house, but also to anything else that is internet capable - phones, PDAs, whatever.  

The German coalition government is "unified" in going forward to try to find a way around this so they can keep on spying - they will be working on statutory means to try to circumvent it.  So this is not over, by a long shot.