Battleangel

The Swedish government is proposing a law to allow foreign security agencies to eavesdrop on telephone calls and emails within Sweden’s borders. But, as Tuesday’s Svenska Dagbladet reported, both the justice ombudsman and the Swedish Bar Association have expressed concern that the new law would erode Swedes’ legal rights.

The proposal would mean that if a Swedish court approves, another EU-based police service would be able to tap phone calls and scan emails and other data transfers directly, rather than through the Swedish police.

Source: The Local

Actually, five years ago I wouldn’t have minded so much. I too was young and naive. And with recent events and many of the European nations doing America’s dirty work on top of their own highly dubious agendas, this must not be. Given that many, especially the “infallible” watchers in the intelligence agencies, have bought into the contemporary myths, they ought not wield such awesome power. Recent events is reason enough not to grant it. There will come a day when the EU is mature and can handle such a system, but it should be for the right reasons and it should not be the first thing on the agenda om the road to a new European empire. Such measures are sure to force the union into the wrong ideological spectrum.

Also, the balance of power will undoubtedly guarantee that such requests are easily approved. Imagine what will happen when some minor Swedish court gets a big case, in big letters, dropped in their lap by some big shot on the continent. It’s doubtful if they’ll have the resources or incentive to go against such a request. In a way it would be better if the decision itself also rested with the EU and some all-powerful court and bureaucracy that could balance another great bureaucracy.

Plus, obviously, I don’t have much confidence in long distance policing. Most likely, something will go awry long before they get around to collect any kind of evidence. I don’t like it. The type of high profile crime that I suspect they want this for, i.e. “terrorism”, is grossly oversimplified and hyped. They shall not receive such overwhelming jurisdiction to chase phantoms.