The Austrian Parliament has passed a law that will allow security forces to monitor encrypted communication in applications such as WhatsApp, Messenger and Signal.
MEPs approved the Dolni Chamber of the Austrian Parliament (National Council) on Wednesday with a vote ratio of 105 to 71 government proposal for monitoring both unrequited and encrypted messages in chatting applications such as Messenger, WhatsApp or Signal. Monitoring will only be possible in a significant limited range of cases where terrorist or unconstitutional activities are suspected or spying. TASR informs about this, referring to APA.
In principle, the permission for communication monitoring can only be granted for a period of three months, and it is allowed to extend it. Before implementation, several levels of approval are built in which the Plenipotentiary plays a key role for legal protection and the Federal Administrative Court.
Criticism of the opposition
The proposal were not only opposition free (FPÖ) and Greens, but also two deputies of the coalition party NEOS. FPÖ considers the use of “citizens ‘spying software” and thinks that individuals’ real aim, such as critics of measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic, is the real goal.
According to the Green MP Süleyman Zorba, the question in starting the tracking is not whether he will be misused, but when. It also doubts that technically it will only be possible to monitor a specific application. The Greens therefore consider to turn to the Constitutional Court.
Minister’s statement
After approval of the proposal, the Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that today is an extraordinary day for Austria’s security, the police and especially for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. He recalled that the executive power has so far been able to open letters and intercept calls from fixed lines, but terrorists are no longer using these means of communication.
