Federal Trojans

Secret service: tools against terrorists are lacking

The head of the secret service also wants to use Trojans to prevent attacks like the one in Vienna in 2020.

(Bild: Reinhard Holl)

The threat of terrorism remains high and IS sympathizers pose a danger. But the executive still lacks the tools to stop all perpetrators.

In the debate about the increasing danger of Islamism in the country, Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Director of State Security and Intelligence (DSN), clarifies once again in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper: "I would like to state that there is no concrete threat situation at the moment, but the danger of a terrorist attack, originating from terrorist organizations such as IS or individual highly radicalized individuals, remains very high."

State Trojans

A state Trojan (also known as a federal Trojan) is software used by the authorities to search computers online, record phone calls, record chat histories, save screenshots or log keystrokes.

The renewed call for a federal Trojan, including better monitoring of messenger services such as WhatsApp and the like, is therefore also legitimate. This "tool" is essential to keep the new threats in check in the future, they say.

I have repeatedly pointed out the high risk of Islamist terrorism. Clear decisions are needed now.

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, Direktor für Staatsschutz und Nachrichtendienst

Bild: Imre Antal

Debate at political level paralyzes investigators
While many other EU countries - Germany for example since 2017 (!) - are already on the hunt for criminals and potential terrorists with a federal Trojan, people in this country are still hesitating. A ready-made paper from the ÖVP-led Ministry of the Interior has reportedly been with the Green coalition partner for a long time and, according to critics, is waiting there for "better times". As is well known, data protectionists and others fear not only high costs, but also that investigators will be able to read the data of innocent citizens in the future.

However, the top investigator explains: "What we want is to be able to monitor the communications of high-risk offenders on a case-by-case basis. We are one of the laggards in Europe in this area, and that should not be the case - for the protection of the population," says Haijawi-Pirchner. Instead of "whitewashing", we would now like to see a quick and clear decision. A lot can still happen in an election year ...