Austria Lower House Approves Limited Encrypted Message Monitoring Bill

Austria's lower house of parliament has passed a contentious bill allowing law enforcement and intelligence agencies to monitor encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal in limited cases involving suspected terrorist or unconstitutional activities. The law, supported by the ruling coalition, aims to close a significant security gap that has previously forced Austrian authorities to rely on intelligence from countries with broader surveillance powers, such as the United States and Britain. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized the necessity of the bill for preventing attacks, citing a thwarted terrorist plot at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna as an example. However, opposition parties including the far-right Freedom Party and the Greens strongly criticized the legislation, warning of potential abuse and excessive invasions of citizens' privacy rights. The bill limits monitoring to about 30 cases annually, each requiring approval from a special three-judge panel to ensure oversight. If approved by the upper house and signed into law, the government expects to implement the monitoring technology by 2027.