Protests greet new data storage law

04-05-2011 • Views And News From Norway

Members of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) used more than nine hours to debate a controversial new data storage law pressed upon them by the European Union (EU), amidst noise from the gallery and protests on the floor. A slim and unconventional majority finally approved the measure Monday night, but opponents vow to keep fighting for personal privacy and freedom. So heated was disagreement over the measure, known as the “datalagringsdirektiv” (literally, data storage directive), that it saw members of the Conservative Party break away from their own party to vote against it, while some politicians called the measure “Orwellian” and claimed that “Big Brother is truly now watching us all.” One member of the conservative Progress Party, Bård Hoksrud, went so far as to say that the new law will allow police to use methods that would “make the Stasi and KGB green with envy.” It was one of those rare issues where Norway’s most conservative party was in agreement with its most lib