Monitoring on the Internet: Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to check online chats!

Monitoring on the Internet: Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to check online chats!

Villach, Österreich - An explosive turn in the fight against terrorism in Austria is based on the devastating attack in Villach: Constitutional protectors are now demanding the opportunity to monitor messenger services in order to recognize potential dangers at an early stage. According to the management for state protection and intelligence service (DSN), this would be an indispensable step to identify and prevent concrete stop plans in good time. However, the measure would be directed exclusively against high -risk persons who are suspected of preparing attacks, such as krone.at reported .

This debate about security is not only limited to Austria. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the topic has also been omnipresent in Germany. Since then, the security question has achieved a new urgency in many western countries. Political actors are passionate about the balance between freedom and security. Anti-terrorist laws, the raster investigation, online searches and video surveillance are just a few of the keywords that arise during these heated discussions. Critics fear that German politics is in a dangerous way to a surveillance state, while security policy is becoming more and more preventive, as Bundesag.de explains.

a paradigm shift in security policy

The security laws discussed since 2001 have changed the relationship between freedom and security. Experiments such as the Terrorism Constitution Act repeatedly trigger violent discussions and protests. Leading civil rights activists warn of a potential violation of democratic rights and describe the data retention as a dangerous step towards a surveillance state. After the adoption of new laws against the background of the terrorist threats, these concerns were louder, which in turn complicated the backing of public opinion for stricter security measures.