Belgium's State Security Service and military intelligence service, ADIV, have been employing so-called 'exceptional methods' more frequently, including wiretapping, according to a report
presented on Thursday. This rise in the use of special methods can be attributed to heightened global tensions resulting from the invasion of Ukraine.
In 2022, the State Security Service utilized exceptional methods 587 times, compared to 363 in the previous year. Wiretapping and communication recording saw a significant increase, with 330 instances in 2022 compared to 192 in 2021. Another commonly employed method was the collection of data from bank accounts and transactions, which was conducted 108 times last year, up from 73 in 2021. The escalation in the use of these special methods was revealed in an activity report presented by Comité I, the supervisory body overseeing intelligence services.
The primary threats that warranted the application of these methods included terrorism (715 cases), espionage (612 cases), extremism and radicalism (362 cases), and interference (325 cases). The report underscores that the threat of terrorism slightly increased compared to 2021 and remains an "absolute priority" for Belgian intelligence services.
Committee I chairman Serge Lipszyc attributes the surge in interference cases in 2022 (from 121 to 325) to the global crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine, stating that it has had an impact similar to that of World War II. Additionally, the threat of extremism and radicalism exhibited a notable rise, with 362 cases in 2022 compared to 279 in the previous year.
ADIV, the military intelligence service, employed exceptional methods 172 times in 2022, marking an increase from 89 instances in the previous year.
The report emphasizes the importance of adapting the functioning and resources of intelligence services, which are considered essential institutions. Lipszyc highlights the impact of the Ukraine invasion following the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that it has led to a global crisis of an unprecedented magnitude since World War II. Photo by Com-sgrs-adiv, Wikimedia commons.