The Minister of Housing and Communications Krista Kiuru has given a working group the task of assessing the necessity of the recent amendments to the Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications, also known as Lex Nokia. The assessment is part of a comprehensive reform of the legislation on electronic communications.
"The society changes and evolves, and we must be able to review and amend legislation so that it always corresponds to the social situation. In the present situation, Lex Nokia has to be reassessed. If it is deemed unnecessary, it can be repealed," Kiuru says.
According to Kiuru, one of the reasons given for the new provisions of the Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications was that police conducting a pre-trial investigation did not have access to the identification data of a person suspected of disclosing business secrets.
"My starting point is that Lex Nokia is no longer needed even on the basis of that argument. The situation changes in the beginning of 2014 when the amendment to the Coercive Measures Act enters into force. Authorities conducting a pre-trial investigation can be given permission for telecommunications monitoring if there is reason to suspect that business secrets are being leaked via email," Kiuru says.
In addition, companies have not begun to use the tools provided for in the Act on the Protection of Privacy in Electronic Communications.
"If legislation adopted for the purposes of a certain field has not been used, the needs of the field are no longer a reason for keeping the legislation in force - especially if there have been conflicting views on its necessity," Kiuru adds.
Further information
Mr Kalervo Haverinen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Housing and Communications, tel. + 358 50 331 6914
Ms Sanna Helopuro, Senior Adviser, Communications Policy Department, tel. +358 400 515 548
