The head of the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN), Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, would like more legal options for monitoring extremists. In the Ö1 series “Im Journal zu Gast” he renewed his call for better access to messenger services such as WhatsApp. Haijawi-Pirchner argued that investigations into Islamist extremism, but also right-wing extremism, often get nowhere.
The DSN boss only wants more access to such services where there are indications of concrete attack plans by extremists. “What we don’t want is mass surveillance,” he said. “It’s really just about being able to take a closer look at specific threats.” Such measures should be legally well prepared, “that’s also in our interest”.
Haijawi-Pirchner would like stricter laws in cases of espionage, currently there is only a five-year prison sentence. The paragraph would be “in my view in need of adaptation”. In addition, espionage is currently only punishable if the measure is directed against the Republic of Austria, but not against international organizations. There is no legal recourse here.
