Criticism of Draft on Messenger Surveillance

Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) defended the draft presented the day before at the closing press conference of the government retreat on Wednesday, emphasizing that messenger surveillance has proven itself internationally.

Privacy advocates: Millions of devices would be kept insecure for messenger surveillance

epicenter.works argues that in order to secretly install spyware on a smartphone, security vulnerabilities must be specifically exploited. However, these would not only affect the target person's device but all identical devices from the same manufacturer: "To attack a single device, millions of devices must be intentionally kept insecure." The NGO rejects the comparison with phone surveillance: "A more fitting comparison would be with a bugged apartment or a surveillance drone that follows the target person everywhere."

The FPÖ believes the government is targeting government-critical citizens with the draft for messenger surveillance. The ÖVP plans "the baseless surveillance of undesirable fellow citizens." This must be decisively opposed. The Greens express themselves cautiously but rather skeptically. The question of which tools and surveillance software are to be used remains completely unanswered by the government, criticized digitalization spokesperson Süleyman Zorba in a statement. For a serious assessment, however, this information is fundamentally important."

(APA/Red)

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