Sponsored Content
Planned Messenger Surveillance in Austria: Between Security Needs and Fundamental Rights Protection
The debate surrounding state surveillance of encrypted digital communications in Austria is heating up once again. The latest draft bill from the Ministry of the Interior on so-called “messenger surveillance” has been met with widespread criticism from opposition parties, civil society organizations, and parts of the governing coalition under the NEOS. After several previous attempts failed in recent years, the current attempt also appears to be in jeopardy.
NEOS is opposing the government's monitoring of messaging apps, with the smallest coalition partner stating it's not yet convinced of the constitutionality of the current draft. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons/ Peter Binter/ CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
The debate surrounding digital surveillance measures in Austria is not new. Back in 2017, the federal government at the time presented an initial draft for a so-called “Bundestrojaner” (federal trojan), which provided for far-reaching state interference in privacy through spyware. Massive public protests, including by data protection initiatives and legal professional associations,…
or Log In
Fast News Search