Norway proposes tougher anti-espionage laws, expanded powers for security service

Norway's government on Monday proposed tougher anti-espionage laws to combat foreign intelligence activities and expand the investigative powers of its domestic security service, local media reported.

The proposed amendments aim to criminalize a wider range of activities supporting foreign intelligence operations and give the Police Security Service (PST) additional tools to prevent, detect and investigate espionage, according to broadcaster NRK.

Under the proposed changes, collecting both publicly available and nonpublic information for foreign intelligence operations could become illegal if the activities threaten public interests.

The government also proposed measures to make it easier to prosecute individuals who use false identities to gather information on behalf of foreign states.

The amendments would grant the security service broader authority to use covert investigative measures to prevent and investigate violations of the proposed criminal provisions.

Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen told NRK that the legislative changes were necessary because spies had adopted new methods of gathering intelligence.

"We see that state actors can collect information that is not necessarily secret, but where, for example, the sum of it can harm national interests and thus pose a threat to all of us who live in Norway," she said.