Sweden's Parliament has passed a Bill that will give military intelligence sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all cross-border e-mail and telephone communications.

Google and the Swedish telecommunications company TeliaSonera have called it the most far-reaching eavesdropping plan in Europe, comparable to a US Government surveillance programme. Critics of the Bill - first proposed in 2005 - say it will encroach on privacy and jeopardise civil liberties, says the International Herald Tribune. Supporters say the legislation is needed to ensure safety against terrorist attacks in a high-tech society where advanced technology is used by would-be attackers. The new powers will give Sweden's National Defence Radio Establishment - the authority for such intelligence - the right to scan all international phone calls, e-mail messages and faxes for sensitive keywords without court orders. Some changes have been introduced in a bid to protect privacy, but critics say the amendments, which include monitoring by independent institutions, do not change the fundamental problems with the law, including the fact that it will make people worried about contacting journalists.
Full International Herald Tribune report


In the UK, councils have been urged to review the way they use surveillance powers to investigate suspected crime. Under laws brought in to help fight terrorism, councils can access phone and e-mail records and use surveillance to detect or stop a criminal offence, notes a BBC News report. But Local Government Association chairman Sir Simon Milton has warned councils they should not be used for 'trivial offences'. Concerns have been raised about the way some councils have used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to spy on dog walkers and to examine rubbish or monitor household waste.
Full BBC News report