Sweden cybercrime law proposals would give police, customs and the security service new powers to hack, block, alter or delete data in digital systems to prevent and interrupt serious online offences, under plans presented by a government-appointed investigator in Stockholm.
The proposal, submitted by government investigator Gunnel Lindberg, would create a temporary legal framework allowing Swedish law enforcement to intervene directly in the cyber environment. The measure is designed to address crimes that unfold online, from gang recruitment in chat rooms to fraud, child sexual abuse material, illegal drug sales and cyber espionage.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (Justitieminister) said current rules leave police with limited room to act when they encounter criminal activity online. “You are out there, but you see that you lack the legal conditions to intervene in the way you need to,” he said at a press conference.
Police powers would extend into encrypted services
Under the proposal, the Swedish Police Authority (Polismyndigheten), Swedish Customs (Tullverket) and the Swedish Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen, Säpo) could be allowed to “gain access to information systems”. In practice, this could mean entering mobile phones, computers or encrypted messaging services to change, block or delete data.
The new powers would apply only when the suspected offence is committed wholly or partly through digital information systems. The crime would also need a clear link to Sweden, such as being committed from Swedish territory or directed against a person or entity in the country.
The proposed threshold is a crime punishable by at least one year in prison. The list of possible cases includes systematic fraud, online drug sales, sexual offences against children, cyber espionage and offences connected to “crime as a service”.
A cybercrime law with built-in limits
The proposal would allow authorities to take measures that would normally be criminalised as data breaches. Lindberg compared the measure to existing police powers in the physical world, where officers may break into a home to carry out a search under legal conditions.
Most decisions would be taken by specially designated officials within the police, customs or Säpo. However, decisions involving deletion of data would require a prosecutor.
The Security and Privacy Protection Board (Säkerhets- och integritetsskyddsnämnden) would be responsible for reviewing the use of the new powers and checking whether the rules are followed. Lindberg described the proposal as a strong tool with broad applicability, but with safeguards built into the system.
The draft law is proposed to enter into force on 1 July 2027 and would be limited to five years. The proposal will now be sent for consultation.
Sweden links cybercrime to gang recruitment
The proposal is part of a broader Swedish effort to respond to organised crime as more criminal activity moves online. Government officials have repeatedly pointed to the role of messaging platforms and social media in the recruitment of children and young people by criminal networks.
In April, Swedish media reported that the government was also pursuing rules allowing police to require online platforms to remove gang recruitment material aimed at minors within one hour. That proposal was described as potentially the first of its kind in the EU.
The new cyber intervention powers would go further. Instead of relying only on platforms to remove content, police could intervene directly in digital systems when a serious crime is underway or about to be carried out.
Technical capacity remains a challenge
Strömmer called the proposal a potential “game-changer” and said it is among the tools most requested by police. But both the minister and Lindberg acknowledged that the law would require resources and technical capacity.
Lindberg said the police already have some possibilities today, but that the proposed framework would require a larger build-up over several years. Shutting down a chat or intervening in encrypted environments would not only require legal authority, but also specialised technical expertise.
The proposal therefore raises two questions at once: how far police should be allowed to go inside digital systems, and whether law enforcement agencies can realistically develop the capacity to use such powers effectively.
For Sweden, the debate is likely to continue along the line that now shapes much of Europe’s security agenda: how to counter online crime and digital gang recruitment without weakening privacy protections and legal oversight.
