Austrian minister’s remarks on police access to messaging apps spark controversy

Austria’s interior minister said on Monday that police should have the necessary authority to access messaging applications for the sake of security, sparking controversy over the issue of spying on messenger services.

Gerhard Karner said that after security forces prevented a terrorist attack on an LGBTIQ event on June 17, police “need the appropriate powers” to access messenger services.

Karner said the country's intelligence service is not sufficiently equipped to monitor applications like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Explaining his remarks, he noted that he is not talking about mass monitoring but the need for appropriate police power to handle certain threats.

The Constitutional Court and the Green Party opposed Karner's proposal.

In February, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of the State Security and Intelligence Directorate (DSN),said they wanted to audit messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, citing security concerns.