National Defence Radio Establishment
Försvarets radioanstalt (FRA) | |
Parent agency | Ministry of Defence |
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Key document | |
Website | www.fra.se |
The National Defence Radio Establishment (Swedish: Försvarets radioanstalt, FRA) is a Swedish government agency organised under the Ministry of Defence. The two main tasks of FRA are signals intelligence (SIGINT), and support to government authorities and state-owned companies regarding computer security.[2][7]
The FRA is not allowed to initialize any surveillance on their own,
History
This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2014) |
Signals Intelligence has existed in Sweden since 1905 when Swedish
In 1937, the Swedish
The first stationary collection site was located in the middle of Stockholm, but in 1940 it was moved to a number of villas in the suburban island of Lidingö. More sites were established in Sweden and in 1943, FRA moved its headquarters to Lovön, some 15 km from Stockholm. In the 1960s, even the location of the FRA headquarters was still highly secret.[10]
Notable events
Operation Stella Polaris
In the final stage of the Continuation War, 1943–44, when the Soviet Union threatened to occupy Finland, Finnish intelligence requested to transfer about 200 specialists and advanced intelligence equipment to Sweden to establish an exile organisation. A transfer of a small contingent personnel and materials, Operation Stella Polaris, was carried out over a couple of nights in September 1944. Stella Polaris gave Sweden access to a wealth of qualified materials and signals intelligence officers, some of which were also employed. For Finland, it resulted in a domestic political affair and due to the Communist Party's strong influence in the government, several of the so-called "Soviet Hostiles" involved received prison sentences.[11]
The Catalina affair
On 13 June 1952, the Swedish Air Force aircraft Tp 79 Hugin (
Organizational structure
FRA's operational activity are organized into four departments: The Signals Intelligence Service (Swedish: Signalunderrättelsetjänsten), The Department for Internet Operations (Swedish: Avdelningen för cyberverksamhet), The Department for Internal Support Services (Swedish: Avdelningen för verksamhetsstöd) and The Department for Technical Development and Other Technical Assistance (Swedish: Avdelningen för teknisk utveckling och annat tekniskt stöd). In addition to this there is also a command staff and a number of specialist functions reporting directly to the Director-General.[12]
Leadership
The following is a list of the Director-Generals: | Deputy Director-Generals: |
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Facilities and equipment
The main headquarters is located on the island of Lovön in Stockholm County.[2] The government allocated a total of SEK 860 million for the FRA in the annual budget for the fiscal year of 2014; an increase in spending with 38 million compared to the previous year, due to "greater technical costs and changes abroad".[4] In 2009, the number of employees was "just below 700", according to the FRA.[3]
Interception of signals is done from fixed sites on Swedish territory, from the SIGINT ship HSwMS Orion operated by the Swedish Navy, to be replaced by HSwMS Artemis,[13] and from two Gulfstream IV aircraft operated by the Swedish Air Force.
Computing
TOP500 credited FRA with owning the world's fifth fastest supercomputer in their November 2007 list.[14][15] According to the director-general's chief of staff, the computer is being used for "cryptography and information security."[16] By November 2013, the supercomputer had fallen off the list.[17][18]
Legal framework
Change in legislation
The FRA has a long history of intercepting radio signals, as the main
Prior to the change in legislation, the main law regulating FRA was the defence intelligence act (SFS 2000:130); and the telecommunications act of 1993 (SFS 1993:597) required all companies operating a telecommunication network in Sweden to assist in government COMINT, under confidentiality. This act was replaced in 2003 by the electronic communications act (SFS 2003:389), as a result of changes in EU directives.[23]
The FRA-law
The new bill (Prop. 2006/07:63), generally referred to the "FRA law" (Swedish: FRA-lagen), proposed changes in the defence intelligence act, the electronic communications act, the secrecy act of 1980 (SFS 1980:100), and the creation of an all new law regulating SIGINT.[23] These changes would have allowed the FRA to monitor both wireless and cable bound signals passing the Swedish border without a court order,[24] while also introducing several provisions designed to protect the privacy of individuals, according to the original proposal.[23] The law's proponents argued for the need to give FRA new guidelines and a modernised legal framework, in order to regulate Internet surveillance and to combat threats to national security more effectively, such as terrorism and serious transnational crime; while opponents to the law claimed it enabled mass surveillance and violated privacy rights.[25] The Riksdag passed the bill on 18 June 2008, after a heated debate amid public protests, and it went into effect on 1 January 2009.[24][25][26]
Criticised for being too far-reaching, in an attempt to address the privacy concerns raised during the parliamentary procedure,[27] the Government soon thereafter proposed an amendment to the law (Prop. 2008/09:201),[28] to strengthen protection of privacy by making court orders a requirement,[29] and imposing several limits on the intelligence-gathering.[30][31][32] The amendment passed the Riksdag on 14 October 2009 and went into effect on 1 December 2009 (SFS 2008:717).[22]
Current legal framework
According to the law (SFS 2008:717), SIGINT is only permitted in order to assess:[29][31]
- external military threats to the country,
- conditions for Swedish participation in national interestsin the implementation of such efforts,
- strategic matters regarding international terrorism or other serious transnational crime that could threaten important national interests,
- development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, military equipment and items referred to in the law on the control of dual-use items and technical assistance,
- serious external threats to the public infrastructure,
- conflicts abroad with ramifications for international security,
- foreign intelligence operations against national interests, or
- a foreign powers actions or intentions of vital importance to Swedish foreign policy or security and defence policy.
The FRA is not allowed to initialize any surveillance on their own,
Initially, only the Government, the Government Offices and the Swedish Armed Forces could use FRA's SIGINT capabilities.[8][22] But after criticism from Swedish Security Service (SÄPO),[39] a change was made allowing The Swedish National Police Board and SÄPO to make use of the FRA as well, under otherwise unchanged regulations. The bill (Prop. 2011/12:179) passed in the Riksdag on 28 November 2012 with the help of the Social Democratic Party, and went into force on 1 January 2013.[40][41][42]
Data retention
Any personal data that may have been retained can not be stored for longer than 12 months, which is a year less than the maximum allowed by the
Oversight
FRA is subject to regular reviews by several external government agencies.[9]
The Defence Intelligence Court
All SIGINT has to be authorized by the Defence Intelligence Court (Swedish: Försvarsunderrättelsedomstolen ), a special court based in Kista, independent of the FRA and appointed by the Government.[46] It is composed of a chairman, assisted by one or two vice-chairmen, and 2-6 special members of the court, holding office for four years. The quorum of the court is a chairman and two special members,[47] and each case is assessed and approved individually.[22] A special ombudsman from the court is also tasked to monitor and argue for the privacy rights of individuals.[29] The decisions of the court cannot be appealed, something that is motivated, in part, by information sensitivity and the fact that special knowledge and physical protection of infrastructure and documents is needed.[48] A government agency of legal experts reviewed the amendment (Prop. 2008/09:201) in 2009, and did not express any objection:
The ban on appeal deviates from the perceived main rule in Swedish law, namely that a decision of a court may be appealed. In reality, however, a leave to appeal is mostly required nowadays for a case to be considered by a higher court, which is why the first court decision is also the final instance for most cases. [...] The marginal benefits to be gained with a right of appeal by the special ombudsman can equally well be achieved with high-quality court members and delegates. [The Council] considers the proposed appointment process a guarantee for high-quality members and delegates.
— The Council on Legislation, Opinion 2009-05-07[48]
The court has been led by former district court chairman Lieutenant Colonel Runar Viksten since 2009.[49]
The Defence Intelligence Commission
The Defence Intelligence Commission (Swedish: Statens inspektion för försvarsunderrättelseverksamheten, SIUN) is the management authority tasked to supervise the FRA, ensuring it follows court orders issued by the Defence Intelligence Court, and that all laws and regulations governing FRA is followed, including privacy laws.[50] SIUN obtains possession over all signals, and they are only made available to the FRA by permission of the court.[51] Furthermore, the commission is obliged to launch an investigation whenever someone suspects they are the target of unauthorized SIGINT.[29][52] The commission is not tasked or authorized to review decisions made by the court.[53]
The Swedish Data Protection Authority
The
International cooperation
The legislation allows for the transfer of data to other states, if authorized by the Government, enabling exchanges of intelligence.
In 2013, documents provided to the media by
Mass surveillance
The FRA have been contested since the change in its legislation, mainly because of the public perception the change would enable mass surveillance.[68] The FRA categorically deny this allegation.[22][69] Anni Bölenius, head of communications at the FRA, believes the public perception of mass surveillance is incorrect, saying: "It is not as we can turn on the traffic ourselves. We have to show cause and seek authorization."[22]
The
Reports and reviews
- In 2008, the Swedish public interest litigator Centrum för rättvisa brought at case against the FRA to the European Court of Human Rights. The court decided to push ahead with the case in spite of objections from the Swedish government and is expected to make a ruling in 2017.[71]
- In 2009, constitution and conventions", because "SIGINT may only take place with expressly stated purposes in accordance with the law, which does not include general criminal investigation or prevention."[72]
- In 2010, a report issued after a two year long review by the So far, no sanctions have been exacted on the FRA for not following the law.
- In 2014, as a result of the NSA leaks, LIBE passed a motion for a European Parliament non-binding resolution, calling on Sweden to ensure its legislative frameworks were in line with the standards of ECHR and EU data protection legislation.[75][76]
See also
- Signals intelligence
- Signals intelligence by alliances, nations and industries
- Signals intelligence operational platforms by nation
Similar government agencies in other countries:
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- Government Communications Headquarters(GCHQ)
Footnotes
References
- ^ Klackenberg, Henrik (2013-05-03). "Nya heraldiska vapen 2008" (in Swedish). National Archives of Sweden. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "Om FRA" [About FRA] (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Öppen version av Försvarets radioanstalts årsredovisning 2009" (PDF) (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Budgetpropositionen Försvarsdepartementet "Försvar och samhällets krisberedskap"" (PDF) (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. Retrieved 13 March 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "Björn Lyrvall ny generaldirektör för Försvarets radioanstalt (FRA)" (Press release) (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Ny överdirektör utsedd för FRA" [New Deputy Director General appointed for FRA] (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Uppdragsgivare" (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Swedish Data Protection Authority. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Tillstånd, kontroll och granskning" (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- SELIBR 1499703. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-03-11.
- SELIBR 1499703. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-03-11.
- ^ "FRA:s organisation" (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ "Regeringskansliet (Government Offices of Sweden) website" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ "Lists / November 2007". TOP500. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Melin, Jan (13 November 2007). "FRA femma på världens superdatorlista". Ny Teknik (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Melin, Jan (2007-06-05). "FRA köper gigantisk superdator från HP". Ny Teknik (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ "Top500 List - November 2013". TOP500. November 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ "Top 500". TOP500. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Rittsel, Pär (2010-09-14). "Matematiken knäckte den tyska koden" (in Swedish). IDG. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Rittsel, Pär (2006-03-28). "Hemligt FRA visar historien" (in Swedish). IDG. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- SELIBR 8878823.
Det har således i svensk rätt bedömts att det inte finns något rättsligt skydd för den enskildes integritet mot avlyssning eller inhämtning av signaltrafik som befordras trådlöst
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hernadi, Alexandra (30 November 2009). "I morgon börjar FRA-lagen gälla". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ SELIBR 9964337.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "Sweden approves wiretapping law". BBC News. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b Rosén, Hans (2009-08-24). "Snabbguide: Vad handlar FRA-lagen om?". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Kallin, Jenny; Hernadi, Alexandra (18 June 2008). "FRA-protester utanför riksdagen". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Olsson, Tobias (14 October 2009). "Ja till FRA-lagen". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- TT (2008-12-22). "Ändrad FRA-lag nu ute på remiss". Dagens Nyheter(in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Förstärkt integritetsskydd vid signalspaning (Prop. 2008/09:201)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. Retrieved 10 March 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Sjögren, Per-Anders (25 September 2008). "Alliansen enig om stora ändringar i FRA-lag" (in Swedish). Riksdag & Departement. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b Bynert, Simon; Johansson, Emma (26 September 2008). "Militärt hot villkor för FRA-spaning". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Alliansen enig om stärkt integritet, tydligare reglering och förbättrad kontroll i kompletteringar till signalspaningslagen" (in Swedish). Regeringen. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "SFS 2008:717". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish).
- ^ "Prop. 2006/07:63" (PDF). Government of Sweden. pp. 83–86 (section 7.3.7). Retrieved 21 March 2014.
De trådägande operatörerna skall till särskilda samverkanspunkter överföra all trafik som förs över Sveriges gräns. Samverkanspunkter väljs av de trådägande operatörerna och skall anmälas av dem till den myndighet som regeringen bestämmer. [...] Tystnadsplikt för samtliga operatörer skall gälla för uppgift som hänför sig till angelägenhet som avser inhämtning av signaler i elektronisk form enligt förslaget till lag om signalspaning i försvarsunderrättelseverksamhet.
[permanent dead link] - ^ Rensfeldt, Gunnar (19 December 2013). "Internetbolag ovetande om FRA:s signalspaning" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "6 kap. 21 § LEK (SES 2003:389)". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish).
- ^ "Prop. 2006/07:63" (PDF). Government of Sweden. pp. 84–85. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
Antalet trådägande operatörer vars tråd korsar rikets gräns är litet (ett tiotal) i förhållande till antalet andra operatörer (t.ex. Internet Service Providers), dvs. det är bara ett fåtal operatörer som träffas av skyldigheten. De icke trådägande operatörerna varierar mer i antal över tiden och det är därför inte rimligt att en ständig samverkan kring överföringen skall ske med alla dessa.
[permanent dead link] - ^ "§2 & §a2 SFS 2008:717". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish).
- ^ Ridderstolpe, Erik (14 October 2009). "Säpo kritisk till nya FRA-lagen" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Säkerhetspolisen och Rikskriminalpolisen föreslås få rätt att inrikta signalspaning" (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Videla, Emanuel (2012-11-28). "Klubbat: Polisen får använda FRA" (in Swedish). IDG. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "2§ SFS 2007:261". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish).
- ^ Struwe, Filip (16 June 2008). "FRA lagrar svenska telesamtal och mejl" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- TT (21 July 2008). "Ingen förundersökning mot FRA". Svenska Dagbladet(in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Försvarsunderrättelsedomstolen" (in Swedish). Försvarsunderrättelsedomstolen. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Lag (2009:966) om Försvarsunderrättelsedomstol" (in Swedish). Riksdag. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Opinion 2009-05-07" (PDF) (in Swedish). The Council on Legislation. 2009-05-07. p. 4. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Kleja, Monica (19 November 2009). "Nya FRA-domaren har uppdrag för försvaret". Ny Teknik (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Statens inspektion för försvarsunderrättelseverksamheten" (in Swedish). SIUN. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "12 § 2008:717". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Om SIUN" [About SIUN] (in Swedish). SIUN. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Förstärkt integritetsskydd vid signalspaning (Prop. 2008/09:201)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. p. 97. Retrieved 10 March 2014.[permanent dead link]
- Swedish Data Protection Authority. Archived from the originalon 2014-03-10. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b Carp, Ossi (2010-12-07). "DI positiv till FRA men ser brister". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Datainspektionens granskning av FRA klar" (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. Archived from the original on 30 April 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "National programmes for mass surveillance of personal data in EU Member States and their compatibility with EU law" (PDF). LIBE. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "9§ SFS 2008:717". www.lagen.nu (in Swedish).
- ^ Friström, Pamela (2008-07-10). "Sverige: FRA erkänner informationsutbyte" (in Swedish). Yle. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Thelénius-Wanler, Emma (2008-07-09). "FRA-chefen bekräftar hemligt utbyte av uppgifter". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- TT (10 July 2008). "FRA-chef medger byte av information". Svenska Dagbladet(in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Sverige samarbetar med diktaturer". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 2008-09-14. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Rensfeldt, Gunnar (8 December 2013). "NSA "asking for" specific exchanges from FRA - Secret treaty since 1954". Uppdrag granskning. Sveriges Television. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Rensfeldt, Gunnar (11 December 2013). "Read the Snowden Documents From the NSA". Uppdrag granskning. Sveriges Television. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- TT (5 December 2013). "FRA spionerar på Ryssland åt USA". Sydsvenskan(in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- TT/Ny Teknik (2013-12-05). "FRA spionerar på Ryssland åt USA". Ny Teknik(in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Sweden key partner for U.S. spying on Russia: TV". Reuters. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
"We do in general have international cooperation with a number of countries, which is supported in Swedish legislation, but we do not comment on which ones we cooperate with," Anni Bolenius, head of communications at the FRA said.
- ^ Bjurbo, Peter (10 July 2008). "FRA-spaning inte så stor som framställts" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "FRA Påståenden och klargöranden" (in Swedish). National Defence Radio Establishment. 2009. Archived from the original on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Larsson, Mats J (2013-09-10). "Socialdemokraterna vill behålla FRA-lagen". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Swedish Surveillance Regime in the European Court of Human Rights". Centre for Justice. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ "Opinion 2009-05-07" (PDF) (in Swedish). The Council on Legislation. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
[Förslaget] som har remitterats till Lagrådet innebär väsentliga ändringar i förhållande till den nuvarande lagregleringen. Enskildas grundlags- och konventionsskyddade krav på skydd mot intrång i privatlivet förstärks, bl.a. genom att signalspaning ska få ske endast i vissa i lagen angivna syften, som inte omfattar att förebygga eller utreda brott i största allmänhet.
- Swedish Data Protection Authority. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- Swedish Data Protection Authority. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ Ström Melin, Annika (2014-02-11). "Sverige behöver skärpt dataskydd". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- ^ Haglund, Fredrik (9 January 2014). "Svenskt spioneri får kritik i EU-parlamentet". www.europaportalen.se (in Swedish). Europaportalen. Retrieved 10 March 2014.