Digital recordings obtained by confiscation and copying at house searches shall not be considered official documents

The Government proposes that a digital recording that has been confiscated or copied during a search should not be considered an official document. The Riksdag has voted in favour of adopting the Government's proposed amendment to the Freedom of the Press Act, pending a second decision.

The Government’s proposal states that a recording for automated processing that has been confiscated or copied at a house search, in situations such as criminal investigations, should not be considered an official document. The same applies to a recording that has been received by an authority as a result of the authority having taken over responsibility for the confiscated information carrier or the copy of the search warrant.

If a recording is submitted to an investigation of a crime, criminal activity or other activity by the authority, however, it shall continue to constitute an official document.

Since the proposal applies to an amendment to the Constitution, the Riksdag is required to vote twice on the proposal with the same outcome, and a parliamentary election must be held between the votes. This is the first decision on the proposal. 

The Riksdag has voted in favour of adopting the proposal pending a second decision.

The amendments will come into force on 1 January 2027.

Committee report (In Swedish):

Insyn i handlingar som inhämtas genom beslag och kopiering vid husrannsakan (KU33)