Among other things, license plate recognition devices will be reintroduced and the special search warrant (that means searching bags, etc.) will be expanded. In future, this will no longer only be able to be issued in the context of certain large events, but also at “particularly dangerous” establishments.
The opposition protested against the proposal and predicted that the Constitutional Court would not uphold it. The regulation now passed would allow a vehicle inspection in the case of a simple theft of chewing gum, and this is exactly what the Constitutional Court has already repealed, said NEOS representative Nikolaus Scherak. SP security spokesman Reinhold Einwallner wanted to acknowledge that the door was being opened to “mass surveillance without cause”. Freedom Party member Christian Ries criticized the vague wording of the search warrant.
No amendment to cybersecurity
The opposition was more successful with a cybersecurity amendment, which it was able to fend off because a two-thirds majority would have been required for a decision. The plan was to set up a cybersecurity authority in the Ministry of the Interior, which would, among other things, be responsible for reporting and dealing with security incidents and for exchanging information at both national and international levels. All opposition factions criticized this structure.
