Extended surveillance program stirs controversy in Sweden

Extended surveillance program stirs controversy in Sweden

Government seeks sweeping program
By Ivar Ekman

STOCKHOLM: Sweden's government has proposed a far-reaching wiretapping program that, some experts say, could rival the Bush administration's controversial warrantless eavesdropping program in scope.
The proposal, unveiled last week by the center-right government, has come under fire as overly intrusive and at odds with Sweden's political culture. Even the Swedish Security Service, this country's equivalent of the FBI, called the proposal "foreign to our form of government."
The core of the proposal gives the organization responsible for signal intelligence, the National Defense Radio Establishment, the power to tap into all electronic communications that cross Sweden's borders. At present, the agency is limited to carrying out wireless surveillance, mainly to follow military radio communications in Sweden's direct proximity.
In addition, the target of the surveillance is changed from "foreign military threats" to simply "foreign threats" — an adjustment that is necessary "as an expression of a changed world," said Defense Minister Mikael Odenberg, who is responsible for the proposal.
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