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The proposed legislation, formally presented on April 25, has drawn fierce criticism from independent civil society organizations, human rights groups, and dissidents. The bill is even facing opposition from several reactionary and far-right parties that typically support the expansion of police powers. Even they are balking at the scale of intrusion the law represents.

Under the bill, PET will be authorized to collect and analyze three broad categories of data: publicly available information such as social media posts and comments; data from Danish public authorities, including sensitive data from health and social services; and data primarily concerning individuals outside Denmark. The agencies involved will be compelled to hand over requested data to the intelligence service. These datasets can be stored for up to 20 years.

The implications for human rights in Denmark — a self-styled "liberal democracy" — are profound. Legal experts and privacy organizations warn that the regime’s reliance on AI to parse digital behavior opens the door to algorithmic policing, predictive targeting, and the normalization of pre-crime profiling. The ever-watchful eye of the state will be embedded deep in the online lives of ordinary Danes. This will almost certainly chill dissent and lead to self-censorship, particularly activism deemed politically inconvenient to the regime, such as advocacy against the zionist genocide in Palestine, views that are increasingly facing hostility from Denmark’s political elite.

This dystopian development has drawn criticism from the far-right as well. “It’s a mass surveillance tool, and if that doesn’t create a mass surveillance society, then I don’t know what does,” said Steffen Larsen, legal spokesperson for the far-right Liberal Alliance and chair of parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee. “It makes all Danes suspects by default, because now everyone can be investigated and screened for everything they do. That is the exact opposite of the rule of law.” His party, along with the Conservatives and the fascist Danish People’s Party, has pledged to vote against the bill.

Conservative MP Mai Mercado called the law “extremely comprehensive and extremely far-reaching,” warning that it gives PET access to all data held by public authorities — effectively eliminating any notion of privacy. Mette Thiesen from the fascist Danish People’s Party, which is otherwise known for embracing aggressive policing, admitted, “We’re not afraid of surveillance. But when everyone working in this area says it goes too far, of course we get worried.”

The moderate pro-democracy opposition, represented by the Alternative Party and the Red-Green Alliance, oppose the bill. Several opposition parties are calling for the bill to be delayed until the autumn to allow for thorough legal and public scrutiny. Helene Brydensholt, the Alternative’s legal spokesperson, criticized the rushed legislative timeline: “We will urge the rest of the opposition to stop the bill from being fast-tracked before the summer recess,” she said, referring to a planned committee meeting.

The regime-loyal Socialist People’s Party (SF), have yet to take a clear position on the bill. SF’s justice spokesperson, Karina Lorentzen, only said that the process was “too rushed” and that a “proper public debate” should take place, without addressing the substance of the bill.

Meanwhile, independent NGOs and experts have issued an open letter to Peter Hummelgaard, head of Denmark's powerful Social Democrat-controlled Ministry of Justice, warning that the bill will usher in a mass surveillance regime. The regime's response has been to dismiss all criticism out of hand. Hummelgaard insists, “There is nothing in this that is about surveillance. It is more of an analysis tool.” He claims much of the data would concern foreign nationals, and that the law “does not change any rules for how PET can handle information about individuals.”

The bill draws disturbing parallels to Denmark’s dark history of political repression. In the 1930s, Danish police surveilled the legal activities of communists, compiling secret lists that paved the way for the 1941 Communist Law — passed by willing collaborationist politicians at Nazi Germany’s request. That law enabled the arrest of hundreds of communists. 150 Danish communists were eventually deported to German concentration camps where 21 were murdered.

Despite the mounting criticism, the regime’s control of the Nordic hermit kingdom’s parliament all but guarantees the law’s passage.

Sources:

• Nyt lovforslag åbner op for hidtil uset overvågning, Arbejderen, March 24th 2025
• Normalt giver de blå partier gerne politiet flere værktøjer, men nu slår de alarm: Regeringen vil masseovervåge samtlige danskere, DR (state media), May 8th 2025