Oslo:Norway's government has put forward a proposal for tougher anti-espionage laws aimed at combating foreign intelligence activities and enhancing the investigative powers of its domestic security service.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the proposed amendments are intended to criminalize a broader range of activities that support foreign intelligence operations. The amendments seek to provide the Police Security Service (PST) with additional tools for preventing, detecting, and investigating espionage.

The proposed legislative changes include making it illegal to collect both publicly available and nonpublic information for foreign intelligence purposes if such activities threaten public interests. The government also plans to implement measures that would facilitate prosecuting individuals who use false identities to gather information on behalf of foreign states.

The amendments would grant the security service more extensive authority to employ covert investigative techniques in preventing and investigating violations of the new criminal provisions. Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen remarked to NRK that these changes are essential because spies have developed new methods for gathering intelligence. She emphasized that state actors could collect non-secret information that, when combined, might harm national interests and pose a threat to residents of Norway.