Telecommunications law allows gov’t to spy: Licadho

Fri, 1 April 2016
Shaun Turton

The government has granted itself pervasive snooping powers to effectively monitor all electronic communication and punish anything deemed to have caused “national insecurity”, a legal analysis of the recently passed telecommunications law has warned.

In a briefing paper released yesterday, rights group Licadho cites a litany of “serious threats” posed by provisions in the law – approved in December – to privacy and freedom of expression. Among the chief concerns, Article 97 permits “secret surveillance” of any and all electronic telecommunications with the approval of a “legitimate authority”, which is not clearly defined.

Meanwhile, Article 80 states that “establishment, installation and utilisation of equipment in the telecommunications sector, if these acts lead to national insecurity, shall be punished by sentences from seven to 15 years imprisonment”.

Further, Article 66 generally prohibits telecommunications activity that “may affect public order or security”.

A new force of “telecommunications inspections officials” – granted police powers to enforce the law – will also be able to call on help from the military and request prosecutors to destroy evidence in criminal cases, the paper notes.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/t ... py-licadho