The CFE is deeply concerned about the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Amendment (RICA) Bill currently before Parliament, dealing with state surveillance. Given the evidence of repeated overreach by the State Security Agency, strong protections are needed to prevent the abuse of surveillance for political purposes.

In representations to Parliament, CFE argued that the Bill has insufficient protections for the independence of the judges who oversee the process; the system to review decisions are inadequate; there are inadequate provisions for the security of data collected during surveillance; there is still a lack of control over the use of secret funds; and these protections do not apply to surveillance one under Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Act.