Sweden to spy on emails and phone calls

The Swedish government has proposed a plan that will allow one of its key defence agencies to monitor all email and mobile phone calls in and out of the country.

The plan, which is being fast-tracked as a measure against terrorism and international crime, has been in the works for some time but has now been presented to parliament.

If passed, it would be the most extreme government-approved surveillance operation in use among EU nations.

Last month, the plan received Legislative Council approval but was yesterday presented to parliament as a draft bill. The bill is the brainchild of Defence Minister Mikael Odenberg, who is coming under increased fire from civil liberties groups.

In a statement here, he said: “This is about mapping situations so that we in Sweden will be able to fulfill what is one of the most central tasks for a government: protecting the country and its own citizens.”

Critics, which include government agencies, have labeled the bill as unconstitutional and a massive breach of privacy.

In the event that the bill is passed, the National Defence Radio Establishment – which helped crack Nazi codes during WWII – will have the power to monitor all mobile phone calls and computer traffic in and out of Sweden.