Fears of loss of privacy as Austria passes new security law

Dec 7, 2007, 10:18 GMT

Vienna - Austria's parliament passed controversial new legislation extending police surveillance powers late Thursday night, including regulations regarding mobile phone and computer surveillance.

According to the new legislation, phone and internet providers now have to provide the authorities with customer data without court authorization in case of 'emergencies.'

Parliament also facilitated the use of mobile phone tracking via IMSI-catchers (International Mobile Phone Subscriber Identity), voted for establishing a databank of sexual offenders and approved anti- hooligan measures in the run-up to the Euro 2008 football tournament.

Privacy advocates criticized the law, saying its flexible wording would make it too easy for authorities to demand sensitive data.

Resistance against the law united the Greens and the right-wing opposition parties, normally in favour of increased police power. Last-minute changes were rushed through on Thursday night, the opposition said, without informing the public or the opposition.

'There was a motion for amendments, but it was never discussed in the proper committees, the opposition had no chance to get involved. They just ran over us rough-shod,' Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the right-wing Freedom Party, said.

The new legislation was passed with the votes of the MPs of the Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party.