Darmann warns: Karner's draft law is the way to mass surveillance!

Darmann warns: Karner's draft law is the way to mass surveillance!

In the coming days, ÖVP Interior Minister Gerhard Karner will present a draft law to monitor Messenger services, which is already causing heated discussions. Critics such as the FPÖ security spokesman Gernot Darmann warn that this proposal could not primarily support the fight against terrorism, but would rather enable mass surveillance of the population. Darmann emphasizes that the monitoring of Karner primarily serves to distract from problems in migration policy and to endanger the basic and freedom rights of citizens.

Especially in the context of the recent Islamist attack in Villach, in which a youthful was murdered and several people were injured, the need for the law is questioned. Darmann criticizes the instrumentalization of such tragedies for surveillance purposes and puts suggestions such as a prohibition law against political Islam. He argues that effective means of radicalization recognition such as the analysis of platforms such as TikTok are sufficient without messenger services being monitored.

The draft and related discussions

The debate about monitoring Messenger services is not new and is also initiated in Austria by examples from Germany. There, the Federal Criminal Police Office has opportunities for surveillance that exist since 2008. The BKA has currently developed a "national Trojan" to provide access to encrypted messages. This only happens with a judicial decision, but the use raises questions regarding data protection. According to reports, the “Bundestrojan” has been undertaken in several cases in Germany, but this was not always successful. The discussion about the effectiveness of such measures is also relevant in Austria, as was the last by the thwarted attack on a concert by Taylor Swift, in which international intelligence agencies were involved.

Karner describes the monitoring of messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal as a "contemporary tools" to combat terrorism and espionage. The criticism of these measures is not surprising. Meredith Whittaker, head of Signal, has clearly spoken out against such surveillance plans and warns of the associated security risks. Many political actors also see the constitutionality of such proposals as questionable.

political reactions and concerns

The reactions to Karner's advance are different across the political landscape. While the FPÖ is clearly against the planned mass surveillance, the Greens and the NEOS also report concerns. Vice -Chancellor Werner Kogler calls for a compliance with fundamental rights and the SPÖ also criticizes that no constitutional draft has been presented. The call for education in connection with the last attempt to stop is getting louder. Political persecution, misuse of data by private detectives and other crime -related topics are also in space and throw a negative light on the planned surveillance laws.

Overall, the upcoming legislative act in the political discussion and expert view is perceived as a potential cut in data protection and fundamental rights of citizens. The fronts are clearly drawn and it remains to be seen how the government will react to the broad criticism. The social and political implications of this discussion will have a long time, since the balance between security and freedom remains a sensitive topic.

For more information about the debate on monitoring Messenger services in Austria, read the articles from OTS , Puls24 and