Bakke-Jensen can’t guarantee that information about Norwegian citizens isn’t stored
Defence Minister, Frank Bakke-Jensen, can’t guarantee that the Intelligence Service hasn’t collected and stored information about citizens of Norway.
Parliament’s Control and Constitution Committee sent a letter to Bakke-Jensen of Høyre (H) at the beginning of the month asking three questions related to the satellite surveillance base outside Hønefoss. One of the questions was whether the minister could guarantee that there is no surveillance of Norwegian citizens under the direction of the Intelligence Service.
In his reply, Bakke-Jensen wrote that it isn’t possible “to guarantee that collection and storage of information about Norwegian citizens hasn’t taken place”, wrote NRK news.
He also wrote that it is impossible to filter away information about Norwegians in the vast amounts of metadata that the E-service stores and that no one has violated any laws.
“I think it is odd that the defence minister can’t guarantee that the E-service operates within the law, i.e. that you do not collect information about Norwegians in Norway,” said Torgeir Knag Fylkesnes, Sosialistisk Venstreparti’s (SV’s) member of the Control and Constitution Committee.
The committee will have its next meeting on Tuesday, where the defence minister’s letter will probably be theme.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
