Sweden has proposed banning the public use of legal document search engine Lexbase, which is used to identify the ethnic origins of Swedish criminal suspects.

According to the Swedish government, the data released by the website is too sensitive for the public and should be limited only to professionals like lawyers, journalists, and researchers. Previously, the website was protected under the Swedish Freedom of Expression Act, but the new legislation could limit what data they are allowed to release, Dagens Industri reports.

In a statement posted to their website, Lexbase wrote: “The right to read these public documents easily via Lexbase will, if the proposal is adopted, be reserved to professionals, such as lawyers, journalists, and various companies.”

While Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said that journalistic activity would not be affected, he left the definition of what constitutes “journalistic activity” open to question.

Read more

The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!