The cabinet proposed law, which targets widely used messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, would authorize the use of a tool known as source TKU (telecommunications surveillance at the source). The software enables authorities to bypass encryption by monitoring conversations directly on suspects' devices.
Under the newly approved legal framework, authorities can deploy malware known as the Bundestrojaner to intercept encrypted communications on mobile phones and computers even when individuals are not suspected of any crime, provided that all other investigative tools have been exhausted.
The amendments span several key laws, including the State Protection and Intelligence Service Act, the Security Police Act and the Telecommunications Act. Government documents outline two core aims: preventing serious constitutional threats that carry a potential sentence of at least 10 years, and enabling the monitoring of encrypted digital communication.
Karner promised that the use of spyware would be tightly regulated. A panel of three judges would have to approve any surveillance request and the number of individuals targeted annually is expected to remain between 25 and 30. Surpassing that limit would require mandatory reporting to Parliament. If encrypted surveillance exceeds 30 cases in one year, the Interior Minister must notify a permanent subcommittee of the National Council, Austria's lower house of Parliament...<<<Read More>>>....
