– We may face new and unknown threats which it is important that PST is enabled to anticipate, for example a possible development towards violent climate extremism, says Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp). The Government today presented a bill which gives the Police’s security service the opportunity to store computer data for up to five years. Under certain conditions, PST can have the information stored for up to 15 years. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority is strongly critical of the proposed law: – The proposal involves a limitless collection of information about Norwegian citizens’ activity on the internet, which will give PST an intimate insight into everyone’s lives. The proposal disregards basic privacy principles and lacks control mechanisms that safeguard our human rights in a good enough way, writes director Line Coll to NTB. The Norwegian Data Protection Authority reiterates its concern about extending PST’s powers for the collection and storage of publicly available data. Today, PST is not allowed to store openly available information from, for example, online newspaper articles, open public registers, open discussions in social media, comment fields and blogs. – We must be able to follow – PST must be on the internet, where the threat actors are. The government will ensure that PST is able to detect new online threats. We must be able to follow the development of extremism, intelligence activities and possible terrorist threats, says Mehl. The information must be able to be used in analyzes and intelligence assessments. In addition, PST must be able to use the information preventively and in the investigation of criminal offences. Assistant head of PST, Hedvig Moe, says that the new law will not lead to mass surveillance: – We shall not read people’s e-mails or enter forums that are protected by passwords, Moe says at today’s press conference about the bill. Assistant head of PST, Hedvig Moe, denies that the change in the law will lead to mass surveillance of the population. Photo: Jorunn Hatling / news Adele Matheson Mestad is director of the Norwegian Institute for Human Rights (NIM). She shows understanding that PST needs tools to ensure national security. – At the same time, this will involve extensive storage of information that people have an expectation that the authorities will not store and analyse, even if it is publicly available, says Mestad. Adele Matheson Mestad of the Norwegian Institute for Human Rights (NIM), fears that PST’s new powers may have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Photo: Norwegian Institute for Human Rights – We are afraid that this will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression. Through research, it is known that the authorities’ storage of such information has the effect that many people become more careful with what they write and say, she continues. – These are large mass surveillance facilities. It interferes with the right to privacy of ordinary people who have done nothing illegal. I fear it will lead to a more fragile democracy with a chilling effect where people will be reluctant to express themselves in the public debate or seek information. Young people refuse to be monitored A large survey of young people’s media habits showed that a large proportion of young people fear that the state monitors their posts and behavior on the internet and in social media such as Facebook. 16% stated that they therefore refrain from expressing themselves on social media. The results were revealed in the Norwegian Data Protection Authority’s privacy survey 2019/20. Venstre’s justice policy spokesperson Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik believes the new powers of the PST will reinforce this fear: – It interferes with the right to privacy of ordinary people who have not done anything illegal. I fear it will lead to a more fragile democracy with a chilling effect where people will be reluctant to express themselves in the public debate or seek information. Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik in Venstre says it is understandable that PST wants new instruments. But she believes the government is going too far in giving PST the right to monitor people’s internet behaviour. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news news confronted Justice Minister Mehl with the figures in the Norwegian Data Protection Authority’s investigation during the press conference today. She replied as follows: – Freedom of expression is strong in Norway, and it will continue to do so. Therefore, we have gone through the consultation responses that have been received thoroughly, and made a number of strictures. 15 years of storage was too much Mehl refers to the original bill put forward by the Solberg government just before it left in 2021. In this proposal, the governments wanted PST to automatically store internet traffic for 15 years. Mehl wants PST to delete the material after 5 years. If not, they must apply specifically to continue to store it on their own servers for a maximum of 15 years in total. – It is good that the ministry has listened to input in the consultation round and tightened the proposal on several points, including by limiting legal storage time and introducing conditions for which information can be stored. But we still question whether the control and legal security mechanisms are good enough, says Mestad. The then Minister of Justice Monica Mæland (H) wanted to give the Police’s security service greater powers when it came to storing information in open sources. Want to avoid foreigners buying up important infrastructure The storage of internet traffic will also help PST to uncover attempts by foreign states to buy up socially critical infrastructure. This applies, among other things, to companies that produce military equipment, energy, food etc. In 2021, it was just before a Russian company was allowed to buy up Bergen Engines, which produces engines for the Norwegian navy. It was Bergens Tidende that dug into the matter, and found that the company that wanted to buy Bergen Engines had ties to the Putin regime. This caused the then Minister of Justice Monica Mæland to stop the sale. – As of today, PST is not allowed to store information on the internet, as, for example, excavation journalists or researchers have, says Mehl. The bill will give PST this opportunity.
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– Get an intimate insight into people’s lives, warns the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
