Romanian State Free To Monitor Online Conversations

Romanian State could follow private conversations on WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook.
The decision was taken after the Senat debated the possibility that services operating in the field of national security would request information to have access to these applications.

During the meeting on Tuesday, February 8, the Senate’s Legal, Communications and Economic Committees adopted the draft law that will allow the state to ask for the support of mobile phone companies or WhatsApp, Telegram or Facebook networks. This law will be applied in cases of criminal investigations to those monitored.

According to the draft, the debates focused on Article 10.2 of the proposed law, which raised concerns about the violation of fundamental rights and freedoms regarding the possibility of national security in the required information to have access to online communication platforms such as WhatsApp.

What we are proposing and is having an impact is the complete elimination of the letter D), which in the form adopted by the Chamber of Deputies had the following content: To allow in the providers of electronic hosting services with IT resources, access to the functions. computer systems for copying or extracting existing data.

Iulia Scantei, the chairman of the Legal Commission

This draft law is accused by civil society of violating the confidentiality of personal data and fundamental rights and freedoms. It’s hard to believe for the public opinion that, regarding the particularity of access to these online conversations, the legal frame will only be used for investigations illegal purposes.

Romania has quite a bad experience during the communist regime when the phone conversations were tapped and neighbours turned into secret police informants. Those days seem to have returned when the law is passed in the Parliament.