In “Protecting the Digitized Society—The Challenge of Balancing Surveillance and Privacy,” Janne Hagen and Olav Lysne examine the dilemma that modern digital societies face as they attempt to secure national safety without compromising individual rights. Using Norway as a case study, the authors describe how the rapid digitalization of public and private services from banking to healthcare has increased convenience and efficiency but also introduced significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The authors emphasize that as cyberattacks grow more frequent and sophisticated, surveillance becomes a vital tool for identifying and responding to threats. However, mass surveillance also introduces risks, especially when it targets or unintentionally affects innocent individuals. Drawing on examples like the Snowden revelations and EU legal rulings, they show how surveillance practices can not just erode trust, and violate privacy but also clash with international human rights standards. They argue that surveillance tools, while useful for law enforcement and counter-terrorism, must be used responsibly, regulated by law, and subject to public scrutiny. The article outlines how various Norwegian sectors, including finance, healthcare, and energy, have built sector-specific CERTs (Computer Emergency Response Teams) to respond to cyber incidents. The authors advocate for expanded police capacity to address cybercrime, such as the establishment of a national Cyber Crime Center. Yet, they caution that increased monitoring, such as geo-location tracking or keylogging, must not bypass legal oversight or the right to privacy.
