Our View: New phone tapping bill far from safeguards national security

In a meeting behind closed doors last week, the House legal affairs committee finalised a bill that would allow the secret service (KYP) to listen in on people’s telephone conversations without the need of a judge’s approval, which had always been a legal requirement in the past.

If the bill is approved on Thursday – something very likely considering only Akel opposes it – it would give the power to the head of KYP to order the tapping of the telephone of any person he decides poses a real or imaginary threat to national security.