2025-03-122024/25:FöU3 · p.2FöUDefence
Appropriate Intelligence Operations
Privacy protection and international cooperation in signals intelligence
What's at stake: The question concerns the balance between an effective intelligence capability able to counter threats from foreign powers and terrorism, and the personal privacy of those whose communications may be covered by signals intelligence and international information-sharing.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
Parliament considered whether the government's communication on privacy protection in signals intelligence should be filed without further action, or whether parliament should call on the government to work for clearer regulation of international cooperation in intelligence activities.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee agrees with the government that signals intelligence is a necessary and integral part of Sweden's defence and protection against terrorism, and that a well-functioning system of privacy protection is required in a democratic state governed by law. It continues to share the government's assessment that the system for safeguarding personal privacy in this area works as intended, and proposes that parliament file the communication without further action. The committee considers the motion's aims for clearly regulated, purposeful intelligence activity to already be met and therefore rejects the motion.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (MP)
MP stresses the importance of clear regulation of the broad international cooperation within intelligence activities, so that the cooperation itself does not become a threat to privacy and human rights, and wants there to be a possibility of independent scrutiny of the cooperation, even if that scrutiny itself would likely have to take place under secrecy. The party believes Swedish intelligence activity should safeguard the open and democratic society, free formation of opinion, and Sweden's freedom and independence, and wants the government to work for intelligence activity that is clearly regulated, delimited, effective and purposeful.
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 MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: high | derived |
| S | No | Yes 93/0/0/13 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| MP | No | No 0/14/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | No | Yes 19/0/0/5 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | No | Yes 60/0/0/8 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | No | Yes 62/0/0/10 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects motion 2024/25:3038 by Daniel Helldén et al. (MP) requests 55 and 56.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motion 2024/25:3038 av Daniel Helldén m.fl. (MP) yrkandena 55 och 56.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag has processed a statement from the government concerning privacy protection in signal intelligence within defence intelligence operations. This statement is submitted annually. It is the State Inspection for Defence Intelligence Operations, Siun, that supervises to ensure that defence intelligence operations are conducted in accordance with the laws and regulations that exist to protect individuals' personal privacy. Siun also determines which signals telecommunications operators shall provide to coordination points for electronic communications. The government assesses that Siun's review of the signal intelligence conducted during 2023 has functioned well and that Siun has received the information needed to fulfil its assignment. The Riksdag filed the statement with the records, that is to say, closed the matter. The Riksdag also rejected a motion from the general motion session 2024 within the same area.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to ensure clearly regulated intelligence operations with independent oversight. (MP) — 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 the Armed Forces and police need to be clearly integrated into democratic structures and that legal security is maintained through citizen oversight and independent scrutiny, which is exactly what the counter-proposal demands for international intelligence cooperation.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that the Armed Forces and police need to be clearly integrated into democratic structures and that legal security is maintained through citizen oversight and independent scrutiny, which is exactly what the counter-proposal demands for international intelligence cooperation. The plan also makes protection of personal privacy a right. Sweden's ability to act independently from major powers strengthens the demand for clear regulation of such cooperation.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att Försvarsmakten och polisen behöver vara tydligt inordnade i demokratiska strukturer och att rättssäkerheten upprätthålls genom medborgerlig insyn och oberoende granskning, vilket är precis vad motförslaget kräver för de internationella underrättelsesamarbetena. Planen gör också skyddet av den personliga integriteten till en rättighet. Att Sverige ska kunna agera självständigt från stormakter stärker kravet på tydlig reglering av sådana samarbeten.
- agencies under democratic controldecisive»vara tydligt inordnade i demokratiska strukturer« (party programme ↗)“be clearly integrated into democratic structures”
- oversight and independent scrutiny»Rättssäkerheten behöver upprätthållas genom rättshjälp, medborgerlig« (party programme ↗)“Legal security needs to be maintained through legal aid, citizen”
- protection of personal privacy»rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet« (party programme ↗)“right to protection of personal privacy”
- independence from major powers»Det är viktigt att Sverige kan agera självständigt från stormakter som« (party programme ↗)“It is important that Sweden can act independently from major powers such as”
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 continue international cooperation and develop intelligence capability, while the party programme makes it society's absolute duty to protect freedom and personal integrity.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto wants to continue international cooperation and develop intelligence capability, while the party programme makes it society's absolute duty to protect freedom and personal integrity. The counter-proposal's demand for clear regulation and possibility for independent oversight of international cooperation combines these two commitments. That respect for human rights is a prerequisite for democracy speaks for oversight even when it must take place under confidentiality.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet vill fortsätta de internationella samarbetena och utveckla underrättelseförmågan, samtidigt som partiprogrammet gör det till samhällets absoluta skyldighet att skydda friheten och den personliga integriteten. Motförslagets krav på tydlig reglering och möjlighet till oberoende granskning av de internationella samarbetena förenar dessa två åtaganden. Att respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna är en förutsättning för demokrati talar för granskning även när den måste ske under sekretess.
- protection of personal integritydecisive»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”
- developed intelligence capability»Vi vill fortsätta internationella samarbeten och utveckla cyberförsvaret och underrättelseförmågan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to continue international cooperation and develop cyber defence and intelligence capability.”
- human rights as a prerequisite»Respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna är en förutsättning för demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Respect for human rights is a prerequisite for democracy.”
- transparency in administration»Den demokratiska processen och samhällsförvaltningen måste bygga på offentlighet och« (party programme ↗)“The democratic process and public administration must be built on openness and”
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 crime and terrorism prevention shall not happen at the expense of human rights and that citizens should always be able to scrutinize power.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that crime and terrorism prevention shall not happen at the expense of human rights and that citizens should always be able to scrutinize power. Clear regulation of international intelligence cooperation and the possibility for independent scrutiny are precisely such guarantees, although the scrutiny must take place under secrecy. The plan also safeguards the free formation of opinion that the counter-proposal wants the activity to protect.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att brotts- och terrorbekämpning inte får ske på bekostnad av mänskliga rättigheter och att medborgarna alltid ska kunna granska makten. Tydlig reglering av de internationella underrättelsesamarbetena och möjlighet till oberoende granskning är precis sådana garantier, även om granskningen måste ske under sekretess. Planen värnar också den fria åsiktsbildningen som motförslaget vill att verksamheten ska skydda.
- rights before intelligence needsdecisive»Brotts- och terrorbekämpning är viktigt men ska inte ske på bekostnad av mänskliga rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Crime and terrorism prevention is important but shall not happen at the expense of human rights.”
- scrutiny of power»Medborgarna ska alltid kunna granska makten.« (party programme ↗)“Citizens should always be able to scrutinize power.”
- no disproportionate privacy intrusions»Vi motsätter oss alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i integriteten.« (party programme ↗)“We oppose all laws that entail disproportionate intrusions into privacy.”
- free formation of opinion»Yttrandefriheten och den fria åsiktsbildningen är ovärderliga.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of speech and the free formation of opinion are invaluable.”
The party programme requires that the power exercised by the state is subject to control and makes strong privacy protection an indispensable part of an open society, while legislation should be tested against its privacy impact.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires that the power exercised by the state is subject to control and makes strong privacy protection an indispensable part of an open society, while legislation should be tested against its privacy impact. To regulate broad international intelligence cooperation and enable independent oversight of it is precisely such control. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's requirement.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver att den makt staten utövar är föremål för kontroll och gör ett starkt integritetsskydd till en omistlig del av ett öppet samhälle, samtidigt som lagstiftning ska prövas mot sin integritetspåverkan. Att reglera breda internationella underrättelsesamarbeten och möjliggöra oberoende granskning av dem är just sådan kontroll. Planen stöder därför motförslagets krav.
- control of state powerdecisive»Därför måste den makt som staten utövar« (party programme ↗)“Therefore the power exercised by the state must”
- strong privacy protection»Ett starkt integritetsskydd är därför en omistlig del av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Strong privacy protection is therefore an indispensable part of an open and democratic society.”
- privacy impact assessment of legislationweak 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.”
- rights in security policy»Utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken syftar ytterst till att värna universella mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Foreign and security policy ultimately aims to protect universal human freedom and rights.”
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 requires that protection for the individual's integrity is strengthened, that laws with strong integrity impact are regularly evaluated and that oversight of authorities' exercise of power against individuals is developed.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires that protection for the individual's integrity is strengthened, that laws with strong integrity impact are regularly evaluated and that oversight of authorities' exercise of power against individuals is developed. It simultaneously bases security policy on cooperation with other democracies, which presupposes that such cooperations are clearly regulated. The counter-proposal's demand for regulation and independent scrutiny of international intelligence cooperations therefore follows from the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver att skyddet för den enskildes integritet stärks, att lagar med stark integritetspåverkan utvärderas regelbundet och att tillsynen över myndigheternas maktutövning mot enskilda utvecklas. Den bygger samtidigt säkerhetspolitiken på samarbete med andra demokratier, vilket förutsätter att sådana samarbeten är tydligt reglerade. Motförslagets krav på reglering och oberoende granskning av internationella underrättelsesamarbeten följer därför av planen.
- strengthened integrity protectiondecisive»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for the individual's integrity shall be strengthened.”
- regular evaluation»Redan införda lagar med stark påverkan på den personliga integriteten ska regelbundet utvärderas.« (party programme ↗)“Already introduced laws with strong impact on personal integrity shall be regularly evaluated.”
- strong oversight of state power»Tillsynen över myndigheternas maktutövning mot enskilda behöver utvecklas genom starka tillsynsmyndigheter för bland annat polis, kriminalvård och socialtjänst.« (party programme ↗)“Oversight of authorities' exercise of power against individuals needs to be developed through strong oversight authorities for among others police, probation and social services.”
- cooperation with democracies»Grunden för Sveriges säkerhetspolitik ska vara samarbete med andra demokratier.« (party programme ↗)“The basis for Sweden's security policy shall be cooperation with other democracies.”
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's central commitment is that crime-fighting cooperation should be well developed but with clearly demarcated powers and protected protection for personal integrity, which must also have strong constitutional protection.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's central commitment is that crime-fighting cooperation should be well developed but with clearly demarcated powers and protected protection for personal integrity, which must also have strong constitutional protection. The counter-proposal's requirement for clear regulation and independent review of international intelligence cooperation is exactly this balance. The plan speaks directly about protection of integrity, which is the reason the committee gives.
Original (Swedish)
Planens bärande åtagande är att brottsbekämpande samarbete ska vara väl utvecklat men med tydligt avgränsade befogenheter och värnat skydd för den personliga integriteten, som dessutom ska ha ett starkt grundlagsskydd. Motförslagets krav på tydlig reglering och oberoende granskning av internationella underrättelsesamarbeten är just denna avvägning. Planen talar direkt om integritetsskyddet, vilket är det skäl utskottet anför.
- demarcated powersdecisive»Det europeiska polissamarbetet ska vara väl utvecklat samtidigt som dess befogenheter ska vara tydligt avgränsade« (party programme ↗)“European police cooperation shall be well developed while its powers shall be clearly demarcated”
- strong protection of integrity»Den personliga integriteten ska ha ett starkt« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall have strong”
- independent control of power»Det ska finnas en effektiv lagprövningsrätt.« (party programme ↗)“There must be effective legal review rights.”
- restrictive secrecy»Sekretessmöjligheten ska nyttjas restriktivt.« (party programme ↗)“The possibility of secrecy shall be used restrictively.”
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 wishes both to strengthen defence intelligence capacity and to strengthen the independence of courts and the protection of citizens' civil and political rights, and establishes that personal integrity shall be protected.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wishes both to strengthen defence intelligence capacity and to strengthen the independence of courts and the protection of citizens' civil and political rights, and establishes that personal integrity shall be protected. The counter-proposal's demand for clear regulation of international intelligence cooperation with possibility for independent review aligns with this combination of efficiency and rule-of-law control. The plan also wishes to strengthen responsibility for public exercise of power.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill både stärka försvarsunderrättelseförmågan och stärka domstolarnas oberoende och skyddet för medborgarnas fri- och rättigheter, och slår fast att den personliga integriteten ska värnas. Motförslagets krav på tydlig reglering av internationella underrättelsesamarbeten med möjlighet till oberoende granskning ligger i linje med denna kombination av effektivitet och rättsstatlig kontroll. Planen vill dessutom skärpa ansvaret för offentlig maktutövning.
- independent control of powerdecisive»Stärka domstolarnas oberoende och skyddet för medborgarnas fri- och rättigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the independence of courts and the protection of citizens' civil and political rights”
- protected personal integrity»Den personliga integriteten ska värnas« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall be protected”
- strengthened intelligence capacity»Stärka försvarsunderrättelseförmågan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen defence intelligence capacity”
- responsibility for public exercise of power»Skärpa tjänstemannaansvaret så att du som skattebetalare vet att med all offentlig maktutövning följer ett ansvar för de beslut som fattas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sharpen official responsibility so that you as a taxpayer know that with all public exercise of power comes responsibility for the decisions made”
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 strengthen the constitutional principles through increased separation of powers and strengthened independence of the judiciary, introduce civil servant liability and increase transparency in administration.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto wants to strengthen the constitutional principles through increased separation of powers and strengthened independence of the judiciary, introduce civil servant liability and increase transparency in administration. Clear regulation and possibility for independent scrutiny of international intelligence cooperation follow from these principles, as well as from the demand to strengthen national self-determination. The plan simultaneously wants to equip Sweden for the new security situation, so the support applies to the regulation and not weaker intelligence capability.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet vill stärka de rättsstatliga principerna genom ökad maktdelning och stärkt domstolsoberoende, införa tjänstemannaansvar och öka transparensen i förvaltningen. Tydlig reglering och möjlighet till oberoende granskning av internationella underrättelsesamarbeten följer av dessa principer, liksom av kravet att stärka det nationella självbestämmandet. Planen vill samtidigt rusta Sverige för det nya säkerhetsläget, så stödet gäller regleringen och inte en svagare underrättelseförmåga.
- constitutional principlesdecisive»Sverigedemokraterna vill stärka de rättsstatliga principerna i den svenska förvaltningsmodellen genom ökade inslag av maktdelning och ett stärkt oberoende av domstolsväsendet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Sweden Democrats want to strengthen the constitutional principles in the Swedish governance model through increased elements of separation of powers and strengthened independence of the judiciary.”
- transparency and accountability»Tjänstemannaansvar ska införas och åtgärder ska genomföras för att öka transparensen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil servant liability shall be introduced and measures taken to increase transparency”
- national self-determination»Stärka det nationella självbestämmandet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen national self-determination”
- strong intelligence capability»Rusta Sverige inför en ny säkerhetspolitisk situation i vårt närområde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Equip Sweden for a new security political situation in our region”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2024/25:FöU3)
- Committee report full text (HC01FöU3)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2024/25:3038 — Stärkt beredskap och ett robustare samhälle av Daniel Helldén m.fl. (MP)
- Regeringens skrivelse 2024/25:70 — Integritetsskydd vid signalspaning i försvarsunderrättelseverksamhet
Source: The Swedish Parliament