![Sample our Politics & International Relations journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5947/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Politics-International-Relations.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
The activities of intelligence services and the expansion of their powers have moved to the center of public debates since the terrorist attacks in Europe. Major discussions have been focused on the mechanisms of mass surveillance, which entail the infringement of individual rights. The purpose of this article is to compare how surveillance powers of intelligence services in the Czech Republic and Slovakia developed in the context of fight against terrorism. Intelligence services in both countries tried to expand their surveillance powers and these attempts have been met with criticism from the political opposition, civil society and courts.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. Tréguer, “Intelligence Reform and the Snowden Paradox.”
2. For the case of Australia, see Sarre, “Metadata Retention as a Means of Combating Terrorism.”
3. Fingar, Reducing Uncertainty, 1–6.
4. Završnik, “Blurring the Line between Law Enforcement and Intelligence.”
5. Svenonius, Björklund and Waszkiewicz, “Surveillance, Lustration and the Open Society.”
6. In the Czech case, we will marginally mention military intelligence service and its competencies in the fight against terrorism.
7. Caparini, “Controlling and Overseeing Intelligence Services,” 4.
8. Schreier, “The Need for Effective and Legitimate Intelligence,” 27.
9. Gill, Policing Politics, 64–65.
10. Leigh, “The Accountability of Security and Intelligence Agencies,” 68.
11. Schedler, “Conceptualizing Accountability,” 23.
12. Caparini, “Controlling and Overseeing Intelligence Services,” 16–17.
13. Aldrich and Richterová, “Ambient Accountability.”
14. Lefebvre, “The Czech Experience with Intelligence Reforms.”
15. Tyler and Jackson, “Popular Legitimacy.”
16. Los, “Post-communist Fear of Crime.”
17. Svenonius, Björklund and Waszkiewicz, “Surveillance, Lustration and the Open Society.”
18. Sparks, “Liberalism, Terrorism and the Politics of Fear.”
19. Svenonius and Björklund, “Explaining Attitudes to Secret Surveillance.”
20. Full wording is: ‘Do you consider that fundamental rights and freedoms have been restricted in the EU for reasons related to the fight against terrorism and organised crime?’
21. The full results can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/archives/ebs/ebs_432_en.pdf.
22. The exact wording of the question in the Eurobarometer is: ‘What are the two most important issues facing EU (alternatively your country) at the moment?’
23. Kluknavská, Bernhard and Boomgaarden, “Claiming the Crisis.”
24. The full results can be found at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/files/be-heard/eurobarometer/2018/eurobarometer-2018-democracy-on-the-move/top-results/en-one-year-before-2019-eurobarometer-results-annex.pdf.
25. Štátna bezpečnosť is the Slovak equivalent, Státní bezpečnost is in Czech.
26. Pešek and Letz, “Štruktúry moci na Slovensku,” 121.
27. González-Enríquez, “De-communization and Political Justice.”
28. Churaň, Encyklopedie špionáže, 28.
29. Svenonius, Björklund and Waszkiewicz, “Surveillance, Lustration and the Open Society,” 99.
30. Duyvesteyn, “Intelligence and Strategic Culture.”
31. Caparini, “Comparing the Democratization of Intelligence Governance,” 506.
32. Williams, “Czechoslovakia 1990–2,” 69.
33. Horobová, “Štátna bezpečnosť prežila dodnes.”
34. Williams, “The Czech Republic since 1993.”
35. Zeman, “Historie a limity debat o reformě zpravodajských služeb v ČR,” 4.
36. Williams, “The Czech Republic Since 1993,” 102.
37. Ihned, “Jana Nečasová je vinná.”
38. Novinky.cz, “ Kauza Nečasové a Rittiga.”
39. Zetocha, Zpravodajské služby v nové demokracii, 212–213.
40. Baer, “Boxing and Politics in Slovakia.”
41. Williams, “Slovakia Since 1993.”
42. For more details, see Lesná, Únos prezidentovho syna.
43. Williams, “Slovakia Since 1993,” 149–153.
44. Zetocha, Zpravodajské služby v nové demokracii, 217.
45. Palko, Boj o moc, 75.
46. Ibid, 60–74.
47. See e.g., Nicholson, Gorila.
48. Larson, “Wild Eavesdropping,” 342.
49. How the Gorila cause was represented in the pre-election television broadcast can be read in Kluknavská, “Politici a politické strany.”
50. The majority of the cooperation of both Czech Republic and Slovakia takes place within the European Union. For the functioning of intelligence within EU, see e.g., Gruszczak, Intelligence Security in the European Union.
51. Michálek et al., Zpravodajství a zpravodajské služby, 198.
52. Novák, “Utajená reforma tajných služeb.”
53. In 2008, a legislation amendment to the law on electronic communication was passed in Parliament (No. 247/2008 Coll.), which limited the extent of the data under retention.
54. Vobořil, “Jaké budou dopady zrušení směrnice o data retention?”
55. Program documents of the Czech Pirate Party can be found at https://www.pirati.cz/program/.
56. Ústavní Soud ČR, “Současná právní úprava data retention.”
57. Security Information Service, “Výroční zpráva 1996 a 1997.”
58. Security Information Service, “Výroční zpráva 2011.”
59. Security Information Service, “Výroční zpráva 2013.”
60. Pokorný, “Neviditelný’ islám v Česku.”
61. Full proposal can be found at https://www.securitymagazin.cz/dnld/zakon-proti-terorismu.pdf .
62. Full standpoint can be found at https://www.securitymagazin.cz/dnld/zakon-proti-terorismu-stanovisko-vlady.pdf.
63. Marušiaková, “Novela zákona o Vojenském zpravodajství.”
64. Česká Justice, “Novela zákona o vojenském zpravodajství.”
65. The full version of the Policy Statement is available at: https://www.vlada.cz/en/jednani-vlady/policy-statement-of-the-government-of-the-czech-republic-163299/ and the updated version from June at: https://www.vlada.cz/en/jednani-vlady/policy-statement-of-the-government-of-the-czech-republic-168237/.
66. Military Intelligence was created in January 2013, as a result of a merger of two military intelligence agencies, Military Defence Intelligence (VOS – Vojenské obranné spravodajstvo) and Military Intelligence Service (VSS – Vojenská spravodajská služba).
67. Kern, “Zákon o spravodajských službách.”
68. SME, “Polícia nebude mať neobmedzený prístup.”
69. See more in Lastic, and Kovanic, “Surveillance in Post-Communist Slovakia,” 941–945.
70. EDRi, “Data Retention Complaint.”
71. Järvinen, “Court Suspends Data Retention Legislation.”
72. Full wording of SIS press releases can be found at http://www.sis.gov.sk/aktuality/tlacove-spravy.html.
73. Hodás, “Šifrovanie u nás ohrozené.”
74. Teraz.sk, “Schvaľovanie nového zákona o SIS.”
75. Kapitán, “SIS sa snažila ukryť.”
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Martin Kovanic
Martin Kovanic is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno. His research interests include surveillance, security and post-communist politics. He published several articles on these issues. In 2014, he was on a research stay at Vienna Centre for Societal Security. He also participated on the EU project Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies (IRISS) and other national grants in the field of surveillance and security.
Aneta Coufalova
Aneta Coufalova is a MA student of international relations at the Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno. Her research interests include intelligence and security. She is working on a MA thesis relating to the intelligence and fight against terrorism in the Czech Republic and participated on the national project focusing on intelligence and surveillance in Czech Republic and Slovakia.