The newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” reports there is significant opposition to a proposal to let a government intelligence agency monitor all telephone, fax, and Internet traffic in and out of the country.
Under the plan all Swedish telephone companies and Internet service providers would be forced to channel their communications to the National Defence Radio Establishment, the Swedish spy agency monitoring radio communications.
Among the critics, the newspaper says, are the police, the Data Inspection Board, and the National Post and Telecom Agency. They say the plan does not give enough consideration to personal integrity. Critics also say the proposal greatly underestimates the amount of traffic involved, and the cost of upgrading systems to keep pace with future developments in technology.
The telephone and Internet companies say they have no problem in cooperating with the government, but they object to having to foot the bill for the system.
