It seems that Sweden also had a vote on a law to allow previously illegal wiretaps on phone and e-mails that cross their borders.
Swedish lawmakers voted late on Wednesday in favour of a controversial bill allowing all emails and phone calls to be monitored in the name of national security.
The vote, one of the most divisive in Sweden in recent years, had initially been scheduled for early Wednesday but was postponed after more than one-third of MPs voted to send the bill back to parliament's defence committee "for further preparation."
After the committee required that the centre-right government safeguard individual rights further in an annex to the law to be voted on in the autumn, the bill narrowly passed with 143 votes in favour, 138 opposed and one parliamentarian abstaining.
Critics have slammed the proposal as an attack on civil liberties that would create a "big brother" state, while supporters say it is necessary to protect the country from foreign threats.
'Yes' to surveillance law
Also of note is 67 lawmakers weren't present for the vote.
The government and other sources said that telephone and e-mails have been tapped for at least the past 10 years. The new law will now make that collection legal.
I use to always admire Sweden for their social welfare programs but passage of this law gives me a reason to pause.