The statements submitted to the Ministry of the Interior, which is preparing a report on the operation of the intelligence laws passed in 2018, show that the concerns relate to the vagueness of the laws in force and the lack of statistical data. breaches of citizens’ confidentiality.
Parliament has required the intelligence authorities to keep a record of accidentally intercepted and opened contacts.
In 2018, Supo received basically all the secret intelligence powers it requested. Powers can be exercised without concrete suspicion of criminal activity if national security is considered a threat.
The service wants to further enhance its powers, assessing, for example, the sanctity of the home as problematic in terms of the efficiency of its work. According to it, the constitutional guarantee of the sanctity of the home makes it possible to transfer the planning or preparation of activities that pose a serious threat to national security quite easily beyond the reach of the intelligence authorities.
The inviolable sanctity of a permanent residence is problematic because, according to Supo, the place cannot be subjected to wiretapping or video surveillance. The Police Act also causes problems in that it prohibits the installation of equipment, software, or technology in a place protected under the sanctity of the home, even if it is used to gather intelligence outside the place.
Antti PelttariSupo’s CEO told Helsingin Sanomat that other police departments have also asked for the concept of absolute sanctity in the home to be removed.
“We’re talking about a so-called retrospective search warrant. Many other European countries use retrospective search warrants and have successfully harmonized them with European human rights, ”he said.
Supo is also concerned about the development of encryption techniques and technologies, as they have a negative impact on the efficiency of intelligence activities. It states that the European Union should find a solution that allows the authorities to exercise their intelligence powers independently of cryptographic programs.
“Many Western countries have been considering this issue,” Pelttari said. “And when we enacted intelligence, we were very clear that we didn’t require any backdoors on the systems. That basic attitude remains the same. “
Another shortcoming is that social services do not have a statutory right or obligation to disclose confidential information that is necessary to safeguard national security.
“Social welfare customer information is potentially very important in safeguarding national security and in preventing and detecting terrorism and other crimes that threaten the security of the country,” Pelttari said.
The statement, he stressed, concerns the ability of the service to perform its duties.
“In preventing threats to national security, it is important to ensure that all relevant information is strictly regulated. This is one factor we want to draw attention to – that we see certain challenges in the current situation.
The National Board of Police has also requested an extension of the police’s intelligence powers, Helsingin Sanomat wrote November 18. The Ministry of the Interior has launched a preliminary investigation into the right of the police to use secret methods, such as wiretapping without a specific suspicion of a crime, in connection with an investigation into a possible threat or phenomenon.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
Source: The Nordic Page