Austrian government plans surveillance of WhatsApp, Telegram messaging apps

GENEVA

The Austrian government presented a draft law to monitor WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps after a government retreat.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner from the Austrian People's Party (OVP) told media representatives after a closed meeting in Vienna late Tuesday that “the police currently have no way of seeing what terrorists and extremists are doing on messaging programs.”

“We need a level playing field,” he said and explained that it was "important for him to point out that the population is not affected by this. We are talking about a few individual cases a year."

Karner said the possibility of accessing messenger services or reading messages is “limited to cases that indicate terrorist and constitution-threatening activities.”

He cited specific examples of "the preparation of terrorist attacks and the formation of terrorist groups. It can also be used for espionage."

State Secretary Jorg Leichtfried from the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO), the coalition partner of the OVP, does not see any danger of mass surveillance in the initiative.

He said the measure is “a last resort” and added that “there are no longer any constitutional concerns.”

Leichtfried added that “the population should have the feeling that the country is becoming safer.”

There are concerns, however, from the OVP’s third coalition partner, the liberal NEOS.

Party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger told public broadcaster ORF that there are “already improvements in the new draft, such as the early possible involvement of the parliamentary subcommittee.”

“We have not reached the end of the discussion, but are at the beginning of it,” said Meinl-Reisinger.

Karner said a long review period of eight weeks has been set for the draft law, during which the OVP and SPO will try to convince the NEOS.