Parties at a glance

Who wants to read along in encrypted messengers

Encrypted messengers protect cell phone users from state surveillance. However, criminals also appreciate this. In domestic politics, there are therefore calls for new surveillance options - and critical voices against them.

(Bild: AP)

6.3 million Austrians will be voting for a new parliament on September 29 - and thus setting a new course not only in the "analog" world. For the parties, the World Wide Web is no longer uncharted territory, but a virtual space that they want to shape. Krone+ reveals the digital plans of domestic politics so that you can go to the ballot box informed.

The thwarting of an Islamist terrorist attack at the beginning of August and the subsequent cancellation of US pop star Taylor Swift's concert series in Vienna have led to a political debate on the topic of messengers: In order to better combat terrorism, access to encrypted communication on WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram is needed, according to the demand from the ÖVP-led Ministry of the Interior. But this would require government spyware to look into private cell phones - a scenario that opponents of surveillance vehemently reject. We shed light on the rift that runs through the party landscape when it comes to surveillance - and reconstruct a remarkable change of heart among the Freedom Party.