MPs Oppose Phone Tapping Bill, Warn of Privacy Violations

Kathmandu: Lawmakers have raised strong objections to a draft bill that would give the National Investigation Department authority to monitor and tap citizens’ phone calls, messages, and other communications. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Maoist MP Devendra Poudel warned that such legislation would severely undermine citizens’ privacy, reminding the chamber that the Federal Democratic Republic was won through the sacrifices of martyrs.

"Why is there an attempt to introduce a bill that allows the National Investigation Department to tap phone calls, messages, casual conversations, dialogues, videos, and more, contrary to constitutionally guaranteed rights?" Poudel asked. He urged the government not to bring such controversial legislation.

Nepali Congress MP NP Saud said the proposed bill would undermine the spirit of the Constitution. He argued that granting an agency the power to monitor and record private conversations would directly violate the right to privacy.

Recording and archiving private communications, Saud said, would also weaken constitutional freedoms. Referring to George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, he compared the bill to a “Big Brother” move, warning against a state that monitors every activity of its citizens.

The proposed bill would authorize the National Investigation Department to monitor and intercept conversations, audio-visual content, electronic signals, and other data on communication networks. Critics say this directly contradicts Article 28 of Nepal’s Constitution, which guarantees the privacy of an individual’s body, residence, property, documents, data, correspondence, and character, except as provided by law.

A similar proposal under the KP Sharma Oli-led government was withdrawn after intense backlash. Now, with the government again moving forward with comparable provisions, critics question its motives. They stress that while counterintelligence is vital for national security, it must not be used as a pretext to infringe on fundamental rights.

 

पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: साउन २८, २०८२ १८:३३

टिप्पणीहरू