Parliaments before historical decisions: monitoring, partial board & more!

Parliaments before historical decisions: monitoring, partial board & more!

Wien, Österreich - The National Council meets in the week from July 7th to 11th, 2025 to its last meetings before the summer break. The focus of the three meetings is important topics, including the much-discussed messenger monitoring. After intensive negotiations, the federal government has agreed on a corresponding regulation that should enable security authorities to monitor both unencrypted and encrypted messages. This measure aims to prevent terrorist attacks and to ensure public security without being dependent on foreign services, reports ots.at .

The security authorities in Austria have been calling for expanded access to communication services such as WhatsApp or Telegram for years. So far, the possibilities for surveillance have been severely restricted and dependent on special software such as Trojans, which were, however, classified as unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner from the ÖVP and other government officials have now presented an agreement on monitoring trade fair services. According to However, the press must be met for the surveillance: For example and the operations are limited to a maximum of 30 cases per year.

The planned regulation also stipulates that monitoring must be approved by a three-judge senate. The legal protection officer also receives three months to check the software used, which must be programmed especially for trade fair services. However, critics warn of a possible abuse of this technology and the risk that the protection of journalistic sources, such as the NÖN reported, endangered.

The introduction of such comprehensive surveillance options not only ensures discussions in the National Council, where, among other things, the topics of the partial board and the ban on "Dick-Pics" are discussed, but also in the general public. Various opposition parties, including the Greens and the NEOS, express concerns about the constitutional conformity of the law that could not do justice to the protection of privacy. Epicenter.Works data protection officers also doubt the compatibility of the draft law with the existing data protection bases.

planned parliamentary week

On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, the current hour will be headed by the SPÖ, while the focus is on discussion about Messenger monitoring. Danish guests are expected on Friday in the National Council, where the Foreign Minister will also talk about important topics. In view of the explosive topics this week, the debates can be heated and that far -reaching effects on future legislation in Austria could have.

The use of technologies for monitoring messengers could not only influence the freedom of communication in Austria, but also change the image of the country in terms of data protection and individual freedom.