The Data Protection Association Epicenter.Works is outraged by the re -attempt to legalize state spy software. For the fifth time, the federal government started a try yesterday to legalize the controversial messenger monitoring in Austria. Four such legislative projects have failed since 2016. The government is again heading into a dead end, despite known constitutional concerns, high costs and many scandals in other EU countries. This draft law not only undermines the fundamental right to data protection and endangers the entire IT security of our country, but ultimately also represents a threat to our democracy. The NGO calls for the petition www.bundestrojaner.at to sign and to comment in the parliamentary assessment.
In order to put spy software on a smartphone unnoticed, security gaps must be specifically used. However, these security gaps not only affect the target person’s device, but all identical devices from the same manufacturer. In order to be able to attack a single device, millions of devices must be kept uncertain. State bodies often regularly pay to manufacturers of SpionaStware to ensure that well -known security gaps are deliberately left open – so that they remain usable for state surveillance purposes. This creates a mass risk of the entire population. Instead of protecting the citizen and the citizen from cyber attacks, the state opens criminal door and gate.
The first attempt to legalize a national Trojan failed in 2016 due to massive criticism in the assessment. In 2017 there was a second attempt that failed in parliament. In 2018, under Interior Minister Kickl, a national Trojan was decided, which the Constitutional Court will stopped in 2019 before the law came into force. In 2024, Interior Minister Karner sent a draft in assessment on which almost 100 statements were expressed. 94% of these statements were critical, including the association of Austrian judges, Austrian Lawyers’ Chamber Day, OGH, data protection authority, data protection council, several university institutes and large parts of civil society.
On www.bundestrojaner.at There is a summary of all statements and a petition against the government’s project.
Interior Minister Karner and State Secretary Leichtfried also incorrectly compared the national Trojan to telephone surveillance yesterday. This comparison is simply misleading, since a smartphone monitored by the national Trojan gives much more about a person than just listening to a single call. Most smartphones contain the address book, photos, location, microphone, calendar entries, designs of never sent messages or health data. A comparison with a bugged apartment or a surveillance drone that follows the target person everywhere would be more appropriate.
Because of these enormous depth of intervention, the Constitutional Court in 2019 also lifted the law at the time. In the meantime, many scandals from other EU countries have been known in which journalist: inside, judge: inside, lawyer: inside, opposition or activist: inside were illegally monitored. Thus, in particular, those people who are indispensable for the functioning of a liberal democracy were unjustifiably spied on. Therefore, Epicenter.Works calls on the planned BundesTrojan and reflect on a fact -based security policy that would provide a more sensible use of tax money in view of the high costs and the low benefit of this measure.
Worldwide scandals in the use of Bundestrojan Pi -Software: https://epicenter.works/content/bundestrojaner-gefaehrden-demokratien-weltweit
History of the national Trojan in Austria: https://epicenter.works/thema/bundestrojaner
Analysis of the draft from 2024: https://epicenter.works/content/nicht-genuegend-fuer-den-bundestrojanerentwurf-des-innenministeriums