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Phone calls from Slovakia

Written by Boris Mutina

Thursday, 12 April 2007

Slovak government has NOT published yet an amendment bill about the Electronic Communication Act even if such amendment could have brought the act itself into compliance with EU laws.

The reason is controversial, indeed a similar proposal would allow police and intelligence services to get direct and non stop access to phone operators databases, that is the lists of customers’ names and addresses.

Similar initiative dod not pass under silence: the Slovak magazine SME published an article entitled: "Police wants to control your phone calls".

The Department of Transports admitted that the Electronic Communication Act, if changed, will oblige operators "to enable a special technical device free-of-charge, that will allow special Police units, Slovak Intelligence Services and Slovak Military Defence Intelligence to get remote no-stop access to the data of all customers".

What does it mean?

It means that all the records included in Call lists, SMS and MMS lists and data sessions lists will at institutions’ disposal , so that agents could check them up without having to ask a judge’s permission.

Channel TA3 reported that yesterday, during the daily session of Slovak Government, the debate about the bill provoked hard reactions and long discussions between parliamentarians.

Operators are not the only ones to be concerned about it. As general prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka said: "My position to this is heavily negative". The head of the Department of Transports, Mr.Lubomir Vazny, said that: "We have some problems with it and we already disclosed them".

On the other hand, Home Department Minister, Mr. Robert Kalinak, said that: "call lists and wiretapping are two different things". These lists should be used to fight terrorism and to detect suspects of terrorist activities.

But for many citizens, this Bill will represent another breach into their privacy, especially because it is not clear if there will be a regulation to avoid abuses by authorities and who will administer it.

Comments Index (Total Messages: 1)

wtf??? Written by Guest on 2007-04-12 20:00:21

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