« Millions of devices have to be kept uncertain » – Diepresse.com
Chancellor Christian Stocker defends the draft for messenger monitoring: What works in many democracies in the world should also be possible in Austria.
Epicenter.Works data protection officers have sharp criticism of the government draft for messenger monitoring. The submission not only undermines the fundamental right to data protection and endangers the entire IT security of the country, but ultimately also represents a threat to democracy, it said in a broadcast on Wednesday.
Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) defended the draft presented the day before. As the Chancellor emphasized in the final press conference of the government exam on Wednesday, Messenger monitoring had proven itself internationally. What works in many democracies in the world should also be possible in Austria.
« A comparison with a bugged apartment would be more appropriate »
Epicenter.Works argues that in order to put on a smartphone to spy software unnoticed, security gaps would have to be exploited. However, these are not only the device of the target person, but all identical devices from the same manufacturer: « In order to be able to attack a single device, millions of devices must be kept uncertain. » The NGO rejects the comparison with the telephone surveillance: « A comparison with a buggy apartment or a surveillance drone that the target person follows everywhere would be more appropriate. »
The government’s draft provides permission to monitor content sent via Messenger services. However, this option is very narrow. The monitoring is limited in time, must be approved by the judge and closely accompanied by the legal protection officer.
Messenger monitoring, which affects WhatsApp, Signal and Skype, can therefore only be used to prevent a constitutional attack, which is threatened with a prison sentence of at least ten years, as well as at the expense of espionage. In addition, it must be proven that measures other than surveillance are « hopeless ».
It is not regulated in the law which software will be used. The interior minister justified this on Tuesday by the fact that the legal framework must first be clarified. It is unclear whether the software used after entry into force will be communicated at all.
