2024-05-292023/24:JuU26 · p.1JuUJustice
Surveillance of communication equipment other than that belonging to the person sought and use of surplus information
Secret coercive measures against third parties' communication equipment and the use of excess information
What's at stake: The decision affects both how quickly authorities can locate people evading imprisonment or detention, and the privacy of uninvolved third parties - who are neither suspected nor convicted of any crime - whose communications may be monitored simply because they have been in contact with the person being sought.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether police and prosecutors should be allowed to use secret surveillance of electronic communication and secret data reading targeted at communication equipment belonging to people other than the person being sought, and how freely information gathered incidentally (excess information) may be used for other purposes.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee endorses the government's proposal. It argues that traditional investigative methods are not always sufficient to locate people evading prosecution or punishment, and that secret coercive measures let authorities find them faster and more effectively, including foreign nationals who pose a security risk. Although targeting third parties' communication equipment intrudes on their privacy, the committee considers the 'very good reason' requirement to be a high bar, and views a certain extra intrusion for third parties as acceptable since the aim is to locate the wanted person. The committee also judges the rules on excess information, modelled on the equivalent provisions in the Code of Judicial Procedure, to be clear and fit for purpose.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (V)
The reservation (V) fundamentally supports allowing secret coercive measures to locate a wanted person hiding from investigation, prosecution or punishment, especially for serious crimes such as violent or sexual offences. But it opposes extending the measures to people merely believed to have contacted, or to be likely to contact, the wanted person, since those people have not been convicted of any crime - agreeing with the Bar Association's view that this goes too far even with the 'very good reason' requirement. It also objects to letting the prosecutor use excess information from secret surveillance of electronic communication for other purposes without restriction, and wants the same tighter limit proposed for secret data reading to apply there too.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by V.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have held
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: MPMiljöpartiet
Ja 272–18Ja 257–33
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/18/0/6 | match | confidence: high | derived |
| S | Yes | Yes 91/0/0/15 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| MP | No | Yes 15/0/0/3 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: high | derived |
| L | No | Yes 11/0/0/5 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | differs | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 58/0/0/10 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | Yes | Yes 61/0/0/11 | match | confidence: high | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag adopts a) sections 3, 4 and 10 of the government's proposal for a law on secret coercive measures for the purpose of enforcing deprivations of liberty, b) chapter 27, section 19 c of the government's proposal for a law amending the Code of Judicial Procedure, c) section 6 b of the government's proposal for a law amending the law (2020:62) on secret data interception, d) the government's proposal for a law amending the law (2024:000) on secret coercive measures for the purpose of enforcing deprivations of liberty in the parts concerning section 10. Thereby the Riksdag supports proposition 2023/24:108 points 1, 2, 4 and 7, all in this respect, and rejects the motion 2023/24:2844 by Gudrun Nordborg et al. (V) demands 1 and 3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen antar a) 3, 4 och 10 §§ regeringens förslag till lag om hemliga tvångsmedel i syfte att verkställa frihetsberövande påföljder, b) 27 kap. 19 c § regeringens förslag till lag om ändring i rättegångsbalken, c) 6 b § regeringens förslag till lag om ändring i lagen (2020:62) om hemlig dataavläsning, d) regeringens förslag till lag om ändring i lagen (2024:000) om hemliga tvångsmedel i syfte att verkställa frihetsberövande påföljder i de delar det avser 10 §. Därmed bifaller riksdagen proposition 2023/24:108 punkterna 1, 2, 4 och 7, alla i denna del, och avslår motion 2023/24:2844 av Gudrun Nordborg m.fl. (V) yrkandena 1 och 3.
Riksdag decision: The law enforcement authorities shall receive better tools to quickly and effectively locate sought persons and locate aliens who pose a serious security risk. The Riksdag said yes to the government's proposal. The proposals mean, among other things, that it shall become possible to use secret coercive measures, such as for example secret data interception, for the purpose of locating persons who are evading or have deviated from a decision on detention or remand or from enforcement of a sentence. The legislative proposals come into force on 1 July 2024.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to reject the parts of the bill regarding surveillance of communication equipment other than the sought person's and unrestricted use of surplus information. (V) — Reservation 1
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The party programme establishes that all people have the right to protection of their personal integrity and that the presumption of innocence is fundamental in the justice system.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that all people have the right to protection of their personal integrity and that the presumption of innocence is fundamental in the justice system. To direct secret coercive measures at third parties who are only assumed to have contacted the person being sought, and to let surplus information be used without limits, affects persons who are not convicted of anything. The counter-proposal's limitations therefore follow from the plan's legal security commitments.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att alla människor har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet och att oskuldspresumtionen är grundläggande i rättsväsendet. Att rikta hemliga tvångsmedel mot tredje man som bara antas ha kontaktat den eftersökte, och att låta överskottsinformation användas obegränsat, träffar personer som inte är dömda för något. Motförslagets begränsningar följer därför av planens rättssäkerhetsåtaganden.
- protection of personal integritydecisive»har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“has the right to protection of their personal integrity.”
- presumption of innocence»anses oskyldiga tills motsatsen är bevisad är grundläggande i det.« (party programme ↗)“are presumed innocent until proved otherwise is fundamental in the”
- legal security and insight»Rättssäkerheten behöver upprätthållas genom rättshjälp, medborgerlig« (party programme ↗)“Legal security needs to be maintained through legal aid, public”
- constitutionally protected rights»Grundlagarna ska värna demokratin och människors fri- och« (party programme ↗)“Constitutional law shall protect democracy and people's freedom and”
The election manifesto explicitly promises police more tools with better opportunities for wiretapping and search warrants and that secrecy barriers are torn down, within a framework of uncompromising crime-fighting.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto explicitly promises police more tools with better opportunities for wiretapping and search warrants and that secrecy barriers are torn down, within a framework of uncompromising crime-fighting. The counter-proposal wants to limit precisely coercive powers' reach to third parties and use of surplus information, which goes against that line. The party programme's integrity protection is a counterweight but does not outweigh the explicit promise of more police tools.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet lovar uttryckligen polisen fler verktyg med bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan och att sekretesshinder rivs, inom ramen för en kompromisslös kamp mot kriminaliteten. Motförslaget vill begränsa just tvångsmedlens räckvidd mot tredje man och användningen av överskottsinformation, vilket går emot den linjen. Partiprogrammets integritetsskydd är en motvikt men väger inte över det uttryckliga löftet om fler polisiära verktyg.
- more tools for policedecisive»Polisen behöver också fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The police also need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and search warrants.”
- tear down secrecy barriers»Sekretesshinder mellan myndigheter ska rivas så att polisen och andra yrkesgrupper kan göra sitt jobb.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Secrecy barriers between authorities shall be torn down so that police and other professions can do their job.”
- uncompromising crime-fighting»Kampen mot kriminaliteten ska vara kompromisslös.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fight against crime shall be uncompromising.”
- protection for personal integrity»Det är samhällets absoluta skyldighet att skydda friheten och den personliga integriteten« (party programme ↗)“It is society's absolute duty to protect freedom and personal integrity”
The party programme explicitly says that the party opposes all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into privacy and that crime prevention must not occur at the expense of human rights.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme explicitly says that the party opposes all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into privacy and that crime prevention must not occur at the expense of human rights. To target secret coercive measures at persons who are neither suspected nor convicted, and to allow surplus information to be used without limitation, are such intrusions. The plan thus supports the counter-proposal's limitations.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet säger uttryckligen att partiet motsätter sig alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i integriteten och att brottsbekämpning inte får ske på bekostnad av mänskliga rättigheter. Att rikta hemliga tvångsmedel mot personer som varken är misstänkta eller dömda, och att låta överskottsinformation användas utan begränsning, är sådana ingrepp. Planen stöder därför motförslagets avgränsningar.
- against disproportionate privacy intrusionsdecisive»alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i« (party programme ↗)“all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into”
- crime prevention within rights»viktigt men ska inte ske på bekostnad av mänskliga« (party programme ↗)“important but shall not occur at the expense of human”
- right to privacy and private life»Vi vill värna människors rätt till integritet och« (party programme ↗)“We want to protect people's right to privacy and”
- no improper surveillance»otillbörlig registrering eller övervakning baserad på« (party programme ↗)“improper registration or surveillance based on”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The election manifesto defends the rule of law and the individual's rights against the state and explicitly says no to preventive surveillance.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto defends the rule of law and the individual's rights against the state and explicitly says no to preventive surveillance. Directing secret coercive measures against persons merely suspected of having contacted the wanted person, and allowing surplus information to be used without limitation, are precisely such intrusions against the not-suspected. The party programme's requirement for privacy review and proportionality in all legislation therefore supports the counter-proposal's limitation requirements.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet försvarar rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten och säger uttryckligen nej till preventiv avlyssning. Att rikta hemliga tvångsmedel mot personer som bara antas ha kontaktat den eftersökte, och att låta överskottsinformation användas obegränsat, är just sådana intrång mot icke misstänkta. Partiprogrammets krav på integritetsprövning och proportionalitet i all lagstiftning bär därför motförslagets begränsningskrav.
- no to preventive surveillancedecisive»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras. Vi säger därför nej till visitationszoner, kollektiv bestraffning, omvänd bevisbörda, anonyma vittnen, preventiv avlyssning och inskränkningar av religionsfriheten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended. We therefore say no to search zones, collective punishment, reversed burden of proof, anonymous witnesses, preventive surveillance and restrictions on religious freedom.”
- privacy reviewweak support»All lagstiftning bör prövas mot dess påverkan på människors personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“All legislation should be tested against its impact on people's personal privacy.”
- proportionality requirement»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between the legislation's restriction of citizens' privacy and the laws' purpose.”
- privacy as democracy's foundation»Respekten för den enskildes personliga integritet är en grundsten i varje demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Respect for the individual's personal privacy is a cornerstone in every democracy.”
flags: citat_svagt
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan establishes that surveillance and registration shall not be used for other purposes than the original motives and that privacy interventions are only justified when a conflicting interest weighs clearly more.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that surveillance and registration shall not be used for other purposes than the original motives and that privacy interventions are only justified when a conflicting interest weighs clearly more. It carries both the objection against directing coercive measures against third parties and the demand for a stricter limit on excess information. The plan's opening for expanded secret coercive measures applies to organized gang members, not third parties.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att övervakning och registrering inte ska användas för andra syften än de ursprungliga motiven och att integritetsingrepp bara är berättigade när ett motstående intresse väger uppenbart tyngre. Det bär både invändningen mot att rikta tvångsmedlen mot utomstående och kravet på en striktare gräns för överskottsinformation. Planens öppning för utökade hemliga tvångsmedel gäller organiserade gängmedlemmar, inte tredje man.
- no mission creepdecisive»Övervakning och registrering ska inte användas för andra syften än vad som var de ursprungliga« (party programme ↗)“Surveillance and registration shall not be used for other purposes than what were the original”
- strengthened privacy protection»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for the individual's privacy shall be strengthened.”
- privacy analysis of legislative proposals»Alla nya lagförslag ska analyseras ur integritetssynpunkt.« (party programme ↗)“All new legislative proposals shall be analysed from a privacy perspective.”
- expanded coercive measures against gangs»Avlyssning och andra hemliga tvångsmedel ska kunna användas både vid misstanke om fler brott än i dag och efter domstolsbeslut mot organiserade gängmedlemmar även utan konkret brottsmisstanke.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Wiretapping and other secret coercive measures shall be able to be used both on suspicion of more crimes than today and by court decision against organized gang members even without concrete criminal suspicion.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The party programme requires strong constitutional protection of personal integrity and that the public shows great caution in handling personal data, and that police powers shall be clearly defined.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires strong constitutional protection of personal integrity and that the public shows great caution in handling personal data, and that police powers shall be clearly defined. To direct secret coercive measures against persons merely assumed to have contacted the suspect, and to use surplus information without limitation, goes against this. The plan's requirement for effective crime-fighting qualifies.
Original (Swedish)
Principprogrammet kräver ett starkt grundlagsskydd för den personliga integriteten och att det offentliga visar stor försiktighet vid hantering av personuppgifter, samt att polisiära befogenheter ska vara tydligt avgränsade. Att rikta hemliga tvångsmedel mot personer som endast antas ha kontaktat den eftersökte, och att använda överskottsinformation utan begränsning, går emot detta. Planens krav på effektiv brottsbekämpning kvalificerar.
- strong integrity protectiondecisive»Den personliga integriteten ska ha ett starkt« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall have strong”
- clearly defined powers»dess befogenheter ska vara tydligt avgränsade« (party programme ↗)“its powers shall be clearly defined”
- protected personal sphere»Intrång i den fredade sfär som varje person bör« (party programme ↗)“Intrusion into the protected sphere that each person should”
- effective crime-fighting»Inför anonyma vittnen. Det finns i flera andra länder och har bidragit till fler fällande domar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce anonymous witnesses. It exists in several other countries and has contributed to more convictions.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The election manifesto wants to give the police sharply expanded tools — search zones, more surveillance cameras and legislation adapted to gang crime — so that more can be arrested and prosecuted.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto wants to give the police sharply expanded tools — search zones, more surveillance cameras and legislation adapted to gang crime — so that more can be arrested and prosecuted. The counter-proposal wants to limit coercive measures against third parties and use of surplus information, which pulls in the opposite direction. The values platform's protection of personal integrity speaks for the counter-proposal, but the same section emphasizes that the protection also applies against crime.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet vill ge polisen kraftigt utökade verktyg – visitationszoner, fler övervakningskameror och en lagstiftning anpassad efter gängbrottsligheten – för att fler ska kunna gripas och lagföras. Motförslaget vill begränsa tvångsmedlen mot tredje man och användningen av överskottsinformation, vilket drar åt motsatt håll. Idéprogrammets värn om den personliga integriteten talar för motförslaget, men samma stycke betonar att skyddet också gäller mot brott.
- expanded police powersdecisive»Införa visitationszoner så att Polisen får bättre möjligheter att leta efter vapen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce search zones so that the Police have better opportunities to search for weapons”
- legislation adapted to gangs»Gängen är Sveriges inhemska terrorister – och lagstiftningen måste anpassas därefter så att fler ställs till svars och försvinner från gatan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Gangs are Sweden's domestic terrorists — and legislation must be adapted accordingly so that more are held accountable and disappear from the streets.”
- more surveillance»Kraftigt öka antalet övervakningskameror« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sharply increase the number of surveillance cameras”
- protected personal integrity»Den personliga integriteten ska värnas, såväl från intrång« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall be protected, both from intrusions”
The plan requires that gang members be able to be mapped better through intelligence work, information gathering, surveillance, camera monitoring and wiretapping, and that procedural obstacles to increased prosecution be removed.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that gang members be able to be mapped better through intelligence work, information gathering, surveillance, camera monitoring and wiretapping, and that procedural obstacles to increased prosecution be removed. The counter-proposal instead wants to limit coercive measures against third parties and narrow the use of surplus information. This is at odds with the plan's demand for more effective tools for the judiciary.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att gängaktiva ska kunna kartläggas bättre genom underrättelsearbete, informationsinhämtning, spaning, kameraövervakning och avlyssning, och att processuella hinder för ökad lagföring undanröjs. Motförslaget vill tvärtom begränsa tvångsmedlen mot tredje man och snäva in användningen av överskottsinformation. Det står i strid med planens krav på effektivare verktyg för rättsväsendet.
- expanded mapping of gang membersdecisive»Åtgärder ska vidtas för att bättre kunna kartlägga gängaktiva genom t.ex. underrättelsearbete och informationsinhämtning, spaning, kameraövervakning och avlyssning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Measures shall be taken to better map gang members through, for example, intelligence work and information gathering, surveillance, camera monitoring and wiretapping.”
- remove procedural obstacles»Processuella hinder för att möjliggöra en ökad lagföring måste också undanröjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procedural obstacles to enable increased prosecution must also be removed.”
- better tools for prosecution»Rättsväsendets samverkan mellan myndigheter och verktyg för att upptäcka och lagföra kriminella ska förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The judiciary's cooperation between authorities and tools for detecting and prosecuting criminals shall be improved.”
- resources against gangs»Ge rättsväsendet resurser och verktyg för att bekämpa gängen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give the judiciary resources and tools to combat gangs”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:JuU26)
- Committee report full text (HB01JuU26)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:2844 — med anledning av prop. 2023/24:108 Bättre möjligheter att verkställa frihetsberövanden av Gudrun Nordborg m.fl. (V)
- Proposition 2023/24:108 — Bättre möjligheter att verkställa frihetsberövanden
Source: The Swedish Parliament