Hell

The focus on surveillance is increasing – but how serious are we taking it? Have people become more cautious after Aftenposten last year revealed a number of secret fake base stations in several strategic locations in Oslo that can be used to monitor and monitor nearby cell phones? Or are most people indifferent to whether they are being monitored?
"People are naive when it comes to the electronic hell we are a part of," says editor of Aftenposten, Harald Stanghelle, to Ny Tid. "Slowly but surely we have moved into an electronic world that is difficult to get out of. Today, it is almost unthinkable to imagine that, just a few decades ago, we discussed whether it was okay with two or three surveillance cameras on Oslo S, "he says.
Stanghelle has been working on the topic of surveillance for a number of years. He believes today's electronic surveillance is all-encompassing, and that it is easier now than ever to leave electronic traces. Thus, the threshold for monitoring is also lower, says Stanghelle. “I don't think much about whether I'm being monitored or not – maybe a little too little sometimes. I have been working on this type of question since the 1980s. If I were to go around and think about whether I am being monitored, I would have been paranoid. I don't do anything active to protect myself from electronic monitoring, but there are some people and sources that I deliberately do not discuss certain topics over the phone or email with, ”says Stanghelle. He elaborates: “The Snowden disclosures show how electronic surveillance institutions are taking power from politicians. They act as a kind of power within power. Here in Norway, the word "terrorism" can hardly be whispered before you see a sneak introduction of arming by the police. Our politicians are more or less critical of the advice of the secret services. It has become a circle of securing. Both the secret services and the country's authorities are so afraid that something will go wrong – that they will be held accountable. This creates a circle of safeguarding that strangles privacy, ”says Stanghelle.

Too late to turn around. Ketil Lund, a former Supreme Court judge and known as the head of the Lund Commission, which uncovered extensive surveillance of Norway's political left in the nineties, has several times mentioned what he believes is an extreme development in terms of the level of surveillance in Norway. He highlights both the data storage directive and a strong expansion in all kinds of crime-fighting legal instruments for surveillance. "I belong to a generation that discussed Orwell's 1984 before 1984. Today we can observe that the surveillance community has gone much further and taken forms we could not dream of. The most lost case in Norwegian and international politics is privacy – or the illusion of privacy, ”says Lund.
Stellhelle agrees with Lund that this is an irreversible trend. "Much of this race has probably run, we will never go back to the time when we traded in cash," he says. "We leave electronic traces around the clock, and this is probably not going to turn around. But that doesn't mean we should resign and not pay attention. We just don't have to go around and have any illusion that this trend will slow down, ”says Stanghelle.
On December 13 last year, Aftenposten revealed secret, false base stations, so-called IMSI prisoners, in several strategic locations in Oslo. The fake base stations can be used to monitor and listen to nearby mobile phones. Shortly thereafter, the Police Security Service (PST) began investigations into the Criminal Code's spy clause to investigate whether there could be illegal surveillance in favor of foreign powers. In May, they concluded that they found no basis for the false base stations in question. But Harald Stanghelle doubts that the last words in the case have been said. "I conclude that in this case there are experts who strongly disagree with each other, and I do not think the case is over. But I'm also not sure if we're ever going to get to the bottom of this case. I also have to say that I am quite surprised at how strong PST has chosen to be in this case, ”says Stanghelle.

Takes precautions. Politician in the party Red and long-time leader of the Organization against Political Monitoring (OPO), Erling Folkvord, for his part, is not surprised by the outcome of the case with the base stations. "I'm not surprised that PST closed the case. What should they do? They also have an employer. I see it quite naturally that states like Israel, Russia, the United States and others conduct surveillance as part of the regular intelligence business, which is largely legal, ”Folkvord says. "These are states that all have a self-interest in understanding and keeping up to date with communication and interaction between politicians at various levels in Norway," he says.
Folkvord itself is aware of the increasing scope of surveillance in Norway and is taking its precautions. “In a phone call, I always assume that the call can be eavesdropped, and then arrange myself. The same goes for email – I consider email as open mail, and am careful about what I send out information, ”he says. “Monitoring was more labor-intensive before, when you had paper letters to deal with. When it comes to PC usage, I expect it to be convenient to have a PC that has never been in contact with the Internet. When I store text and information there, I feel more confident that it will not be read. Today it is difficult to detect electronic eavesdropping – it requires a technical expertise that most of us have, ”Folkvord says.

Was intercepted by the phone. Sports sociologist, professor and public debater Gerd von der Lippe tells Ny Tid that she herself has had experiences she believes may indicate surveillance. "I have experience with monitoring from before this type of electronic monitoring of a current case, in the 1970s. I have never been active in any political party, but have always been active on the left and in the feminist movement. It started with me running illegally in the Holmenkoll relay, which at that time was only for men. The organizers must have thought that I was from the AKP, because it was 'AKP members who did that', "says von der Lippe. "The wiretapping I experienced was in connection with a telephone conversation. The phone rang and my boyfriend took it to give it to me. Then I heard my own voice from a previous phone call. It was very uncomfortable, "she says.

"The phone rang and my boyfriend took it to give it to me. Then I heard my own voice from a previous phone call. "

It was with one experience. But in April this year, the topic reappeared for the sports sociologist. This time it was in connection with a trip to Israel and the West Bank. "I have not thought much about it before I went to Israel and the West Bank this year. On April 17, the day before my departure, I took a series of phone calls to inform people that I was not going to call while I was away because it was too expensive. With all the conversations I took, it took three seconds before I was connected to the person I was going to talk to, "she says. "I experienced the same thing while I was in Israel and Palestine, but I first denied that there was anything wrong with my phone. It was not until I read Truls Lie's leader in Ny Tid – where he told me that after taking over the editorial job he had experienced the same thing – that I put it in connection with any monitoring, "says von der Lippe.
"What do you think about the extent of surveillance in Norway – are Norwegians naive when it comes to this topic?"
"We know that surveillance in Norway does not stop with the Lund Commission, and that Norway cooperates with states such as Israel and the United States. Personally, I do little to protect myself from electronic monitoring. More and more questions arise that I would not have asked if I had not experienced being monitored myself. It is extremely important that we continue to ask questions regarding surveillance. If we set enough of them, we might be able to get closer answers about an incredibly important topic, ”concludes von der Lippe.

carima@nytid.no