A threat to democracy

The statements made Thursday to Parliament’s Transparency Committee by the president of the Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) concerning surveillance mechanisms in the country were worrisome, to say the least.

If it is true that many private individuals are in possession of the technical know-how to monitor phone calls and other means of communication, then this is a major issue for our democracy, not to mention the country’s security. Furthermore, the fact that these private individuals are not being monitored by any state authority is of even greater concern.

According to its president, current legislation only grants ADAE the authority to monitor state surveillance mechanisms but not private ones.

Despite ADAE’s proposals to rectify the situation, the government and political leaders have remained silent on the issue or insist they are powerless to intervene in this matter of such national significance. And this raises the question of whether we are becoming a country reminiscent of Latin American states in years gone by.