Activity Report 2016

ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 Review Investigations, Control of Special Intelligence Methods and Recommendations Belgian Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee Belgian Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee Cambridge – Antwerp – Portland e Dutch and French language versions of this report are the official versions. In case of conflict between the Dutch and French language versions and the English language version, the meaning of the first ones shall prevail. Activity Report 2016. Review Investigations, Control of Special Intelligence Methods and Recommendations Belgian Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee Belgian Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee Rue de Louvain 48, 1000 Brussels – Belgium + 32 (0)2 286 29 11 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a><a href="/goto?url=http://www.comiteri.be" target="_blank">www.comiteri.be </a>© 2018 Intersentia Cambridge – Antwerp – Portland <a href="/goto?url=http://www.intersentia.com" target="_blank">www.intersentia.com </a>ISBN 978-1-78068-642-4 D/2018/7849/27 NUR 823 All rights reserved. Nothing from this report may be reproduced, stored in an automated database or made public in any way whatsoever without the express prior consent of the publishers, except as expressly required by law. CONTENTS List of abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 Table of contents of the complete Activity Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Review investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Control of special intelligence methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 APPENDICES Extract of the Act of 18 July 1991 governing Review of the Police and Intelligence Services and the Coordination Unit for reat Assessment. . . . . 125 Extract of the Act of 30 November 1998 governing the Intelligence and Security Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 vLIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BCC BCCP BICS BOJ Belgian Criminal Code Belgian Code of Civil Procedure Belgacom International Carrier Services Belgian Official Journal CCB Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (Centrum voor Cybersecurity België – Centre pour la cybersécurité Belgique) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">CCIRM </li><li style="flex:1">Collection </li><li style="flex:1">coordination </li><li style="flex:1">and </li><li style="flex:1">intelligence </li></ul>requirements management Chief of Defence Control Agency for Management of Police Information (Controleorgaan voor politionele informatie – Organe de contrôle de l’information policière) CHOD C.O.C. <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">COPPRA </li><li style="flex:1">Community </li><li style="flex:1">Policing </li><li style="flex:1">and </li><li style="flex:1">Prevention </li><li style="flex:1">of </li></ul>Radicalisation CTG CUTA Counter Terrorist Group Coordination Unit for reat Assessment <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Data Protection Act </li><li style="flex:1">Act of 8 December 1992 on privacy protection in </li></ul>relation to the processing of personal data (Wet tot bescherming van de persoonlijke levenssfeer ten opzichte van de verwerking van persoonsgegevens – Loi relative à la protection de la vie privée à l’égard des traitements de données à caractère personnel) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">European Union </li><li style="flex:1">EU </li></ul>FCCU FTF Federal Computer Crime Unit Foreign Terrorist Fighters GCCR GCHQ GISS Governmental Coordination and Crisis Centre General Communications Headquarters (UK) General Intelligence and Security Service of the Armed Forces (Algemene Dienst Inlichting en Veiligheid van de Krijgsmacht – Service Général du Renseignement et de la Sécurité des Forces armées) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Human Intelligence </li><li style="flex:1">HUMINT </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">ICT </li><li style="flex:1">Information and Communication Technology </li></ul>vii List of abbreviations <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">IMINT </li><li style="flex:1">Image Intelligence </li></ul>Intelligence Services Act Act of 30 November 1998 governing the intelligence and security services (Wet houdende regeling van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdienst – Loi organique des services de renseignement et de sécurité) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">IO </li><li style="flex:1">Immigration Office </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">IOB </li><li style="flex:1">Intelligence Outlook Bulletin </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">IS </li><li style="flex:1">Islamic State </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">JIB </li><li style="flex:1">Joint Information Box </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">LTF </li><li style="flex:1">Local task forces </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">NSA </li><li style="flex:1">National Security Agency (US) </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">NSC </li><li style="flex:1">National Security Council </li></ul>NTF OSINT OVG Parl. doc PNR POC Review Act National Task Force Open Source Intelligence Operation Vigilant Guardian Parliamentary Document Passenger Name Record Point of contact Act of 18 July 1991 governing the review of police and intelligence services and of the Coordination Unit for reat Assessment (Wet tot regeling van het toezicht op politie- en inlichtingendiensten en op het coördinatieorgaan voor de dreigingsanalyse – Loi organique du contrôle des services de police et de renseignement et de l’organe de coordination pour l’analyse de la menace) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">RFI </li><li style="flex:1">Request for information </li></ul>SEP SIGINT SIM Scientific and Economic Potential Signals Intelligence Special Intelligence Methods <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">SIM Act </li><li style="flex:1">Act of 4 February 2010 governing the intelligence </li></ul>collection methods used by the intelligence and security services (Wet betreffende de methoden voor het verzamelen van gegevens door de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten – Loi relative aux méthodes de recueil de données par les services de renseignement et de sécurité) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">SIM Commission </li><li style="flex:1">Administrative commission responsible for </li></ul>monitoring the specific and exceptional intelligence collection methods used by the intelligence and security services SLA viii Service Level Agreement List of abbreviations <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">SOCMINT </li><li style="flex:1">Social Media Intelligence </li></ul><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Standing Committee I </li><li style="flex:1">Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee </li></ul>(Vast Comité van Toezicht op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten – Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignement et de sécurité) Standing Police Monitoring Committee (Vast Comité van Toezicht op de politiediensten – Comité permanent de contrôle des services de police) Standing Committee P State Security reat Assessment Act Veiligheid van de Staat – Sûreté de l’État Act of 10 July 2006 on reat Assessment (Wet betreffende de analyse van de dreiging – Loi relative à l’analyse de la menace) <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">UN </li><li style="flex:1">United Nations </li></ul>ix INTRODUCTION e Belgian Standing Intelligence Agencies Review Committee (hereaﬅer Standing Committee I) is a permanent and independent review body. It was set up by the Review Act of 18 July 1991 and has been operational since May 1993.1 e Standing Committee I is responsible for reviewing the activities and functioning of the two Belgian intelligence services: the civil intelligence service, State Security, and his military counterpart, the General Intelligence and Security Service. In addition, it supervises, together with the Standing Committee P, the functioning of the Coordination Unit for reat Assessments2 and its various supporting services. e review relates to the legitimacy (supervision of observance of the applicable laws and regulations), effectiveness (supervision of the efficiency of the intelligence services), and coordination (the mutual harmonisation of the work of the services concerned). With regard to the supporting services of the Coordination Unit for reat Assessments, the review only relates to their obligation to pass on information on terrorism and extremism. e Standing Committee I performs its review role through investigations carried out on its own initiative or on the request of the Parliament or the competent minister or authority. Additionally, the Standing Committee I can act on request of a citizen and of any person holding a civil service position, as well as any member of the armed forces, who has been directly concerned by the intervention of one of the intelligence services. Since 1 September 2010, the Standing Committee I has also been acting as a judicial body in the control of the special intelligence methods used by the intelligence and security services. e so-called SIM Act of 4 February 2010 has provided the two Belgian intelligence services with an extensive additional arsenal of special (specific or exceptional) powers. However, they come under the judicial control of the Standing Committee I. e Standing Committee I and its Investigation Service have many powers. For example, the reviewed and controlled services must send, on their own initiative, all documents governing the conduct of the members of the service, and the Committee can request any other text or document. e fact that many 12 e Standing Committee I celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2013 (VAN LAETHEM, W. and VANDERBORGHT, J., Inzicht in toezicht – Regards sur le contrôle, Antwerpen, Intersentia, 2012, xxx + 265 p.). Belgian Standing Committee I (ed.), All Source reat Assessments in the Fight Against Terrorism – Fusion Centres throughout Europe, 2010, 220 p. xi Introduction documents of the intelligence services are classified in accordance with the Classification Act of 11 December 1998, does not detract from this. Indeed, all employees of the Committee hold a security clearance of the “top secret” level. e Committee can also question anybody. e members of the reviewed services can be summoned if necessary and required to testify under oath. Furthermore, the supervisory body can make all useful findings and seize all objects and documents in any location. Finally, the Committee can demand the assistance of experts and interpreters, and the assistance of the police. e Standing Committee I is a collective body and is composed of three members, including a chairman. e incumbent members are appointed or renewed by the Chamber of Representatives.3 e Standing Committee I is assisted by a secretary and his administrative staff, and by an Investigation Service. Pursuant to Article 35 of the Review Act of 18 July 1991, the Standing Committee I annually draws up a general activity report. ese activity reports are drawn up in Belgium’s national languages Dutch and French and can be found <a href="/goto?url=http://www.comiteri.be). With" target="_blank">on the website of the Committee (see www.comiteri.be). With increased </a>globalisation in mind, the Standing Committee I wishes to meet the expectations of a broader public. e sections of the Activity Report 2016 that are most relevant to the international intelligence community (the review investigations, the control of special intelligence methods, the recommendations and the table of contents of the complete activity report), have therefore been translated into English. is book is the sixth to be published in English by the Standing Committee I, aﬅer the Activity Report 2006-2007, the Activity Report 2008-2009, the Activity Report 2010-2011, the Activity Report 2012-2013 and the Activity Report 2014-2015 (see <a href="/goto?url=http://www.comiteri.be). e" target="_blank">www.comiteri.be). e Standing Committee I has now opted for an annual </a>publication of its reports translated into English. Guy Rapaille, Chairman Gérald Vande Walle, Counsellor Pieter-Alexander De Brock, Counsellor Wouter De Ridder, Secretary 1 December 2017 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">3</li><li style="flex:1">A committee responsible for monitoring the Standing Committee P and the Standing </li></ul>Committee I has been created and is composed of 13 MPs. xii ACTIVITY REPORT 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of abbreviations Preface Chapter I. Follow-up of the recommendations made by the Standing Committee I Chapter II. Review investigations <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">II.1. </li><li style="flex:1">e issue of foreign terrorist fighters </li></ul>II.1.1. II.1.2. II.1.3. A constant evolution Legal framework Assessment of the information position of the intelligence services II.1.4. II.1.5. Intelligence services and local task forces Cooperation with the judicial authorities II.2. II.3. Information position of State Security and the failed attack on the high-speed alys train II.2.1. II.2.2. II.2.3. II.2.4. e facts Was the perpetrator known to State Security? Context of the case file Findings and conclusions Information position of the two intelligence services before the Paris attacks II.3.1. II.3.2. II.3.3. Events in brief Fast-evolving legal context Information position of the services and the contribution of the various collection resources II.3.4. II.3.5. II.3.6. Cooperation at national level Cooperation at international level When and how did the intelligence services inform the competent authorities of the threat? How did the services respond to the evolving threat? Several structural problems and risks General conclusions II.3.7. II.3.8. II.3.9. 3Table of contents <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">II.4. </li><li style="flex:1">Information position of the two intelligence services before the attacks </li></ul>in Zaventem and Maalbeek II.4.1. II.4.2. II.4.3. II.4.4. II.4.5. II.4.6. II.4.7. II.4.8. Summary of the facts Structure of the review investigation Information position of the intelligence services Collection disciplines Cooperation at national level Cooperation at international level e weeks before the attacks, from State Security’s perspective Conclusions II.5. II.6. Protection of scientific and economic potential and the Snowden revelations II.5.1. II.5.2. Introduction Findings State Security and the cooperation protocol with penal institutions II.6.1. II.6.2. II.6.3. II.6.4. II.6.5. Exchange of information with the prison administration Application of the protocol over the years Ad hoc evaluation of the protocol: findings State Security initiatives outside the protocol Conclusion II.7. II.8. II.9. Monitoring a potential threat against a foreign visitor II.7.1. II.7.2. Contextualisation Findings A complaint against an indiscreet colleague II.8.1. II.8.2. Findings Conclusions A complaint concerning whether or not a payment is due II.10. A complaint concerning an intervention by two protection assistants II.11. A complaint concerning an intervention by CUTA II.11.1. Assessment memoranda of CUTA II.11.2. One of CUTA’s powers? II.12. Individual threat assessments by CUTA II.12.1. Investigative structure II.12.2. Legal framework II.12.3. reat assessments by CUTA (2011–2015) II.12.4. A new methodology II.13. Specific dysfunctions within CUTA II.14. A complaint concerning a security investigation at GISS II.14.1. Contextualisation II.14.2. Findings II.15. Investigations in which investigative steps taken during 2016 and investigations initiated in 2016 4Table of contents II.15.1. Information position of CUTA before the Paris attacks II.15.2. International exchange of data on foreign terrorist fighters Chapter III. Control of special intelligence methods III.1. Four legislative amendments from 2016 III.1.1. A new assignment for the intelligence services III.1.2. Identification of the user of telecommunication or of a used means of communication as an ordinary method III.1.3. A new data retention law for the intelligence services III.1.4. Identification of a prepaid-card holder III.2. Statistics relating to specific and exceptional methods III.2.1. Methods with regard to GISS III.2.2. Methods with regard to State Security III.3. Activities of the Standing Committee I as a jurisdictional body and a pre-judicial consulting body III.3.1. Figures III.3.2. Decisions III.4. Conclusions and recommendations Chapter IV. Monitoring the interception of communications broadcast abroad Chapter V. Assignments for parliamentary inquiry committees <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">V.1. </li><li style="flex:1">Parliamentary inquiry committee into the attacks </li></ul>V.1.1. V.1.2. Sending investigation reports Overview of the recommendations in the fight against terrorism and extremism V.1.3. V.1.4. V.1.5. Intermediary for consulting secret documents Evidence for the inquiry committee Performance of additional investigation assignments <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">V.2. </li><li style="flex:1">Parliamentary inquiry committee into the Out-of-Court Settlement Act </li></ul>Chapter VI. Verification of common databases VI.1. What is a common database? VI.1.1. Purpose and rules VI.1.2. Consultation VI.1.3. Obligation to feed the common database 5Table of contents VI.1.4. Special players VI.2. Common database on foreign terrorist fighters VI.2.1. Intelligence records VI.2.2. Level of accesses VI.2.3. Information cards VI.2.4. Carrying out other different roles VI.2.5. Data validation system VI.2.6. Data management VI.2.7. International cooperation VI.2.8. Ultimate accountability and general obligations VI.3. Monitoring by Control Agency for Management of Police Information (C.O.C.) and the Standing Committee I VI.3.1. Initial advisory opinion VI.3.2. Second advisory opinion Chapter VII. Advice, studies and other activities VII.1. Advice of the Standing Committee I on the bill to amend the Intelligence Act VII.2. Advice on the bill governing private security VII.3. Information dossiers VII.4. Expert at various forums VII.5. Cooperation protocol on human rights VII.6. Contacts with foreign review bodies VII.7. Monitoring of special funds VII.8. Media presence Chapter VIII. Criminal investigations and judicial inquiries Chapter IX. Administration of the Appeal Body for security clearances, certificates and advice Chapter X. Internal operations of the Standing Committee I X.1. X.2. X.3. X.4. X.5. Composition of the Standing Committee I Meetings with the Monitoring Committee Joint meetings with the Standing Committee P Financial resources and administrative activities Training 6Table of contents Chapter XI. Recommendations IX.1. Recommendations related to the protection of the rights conferred on individuals by the Constitution and the law IX.1.1. Closing the legal loophole in relation to data retention IX.1.2. Use of unlawfully obtained intelligence IX.1.3. Exchange of information and cooperation with foreign services IX.1.4. Technical assistance to the judiciary IX.1.5. Compliance with Article 36bis of the Privacy Act IX.2. Recommendations related to the coordination and efficiency of the intelligence services, CUTA and the support services IX.2.1. Recommendations specifically aimed at fighting terrorism and radicalism IX.2.2. Recommendations with general scope XI.2.3. Recommendations on special intelligence methods IX.2.4. Recommendations on the protection of the scientific and economic potential IX.2.5. Recommendations on cooperation with the penal institutions IX.2.6. Recommendations on the operation of CUTA IX.3. Recommendation related the effectiveness of the review IX.3.1. Interception Plan Appendices Appendix A. Overview of the main regulations relating to the operations, powers and review of the intelligence and security services and CUTA (1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016) Appendix B. Overview of the main legislative proposals, bills and resolutions relating to the operations, powers and review of the intelligence and security services and CUTA (1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016) Appendix C. Overview of parliamentary questions, requests for explanations, and oral and written questions concerning the operation, powers and review of the intelligence and security services and CUTA (1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016) 7Table of contents Appendix D. Advisory opinion on the bill governing private security Appendix E. Advisory opinion on the bill to amend the Act of 30 November 1998 governing the intelligence and security service (Intelligence Services Act) Appendix F. Joint advisory opinion no. 01/2016 of 20 June 2016 on the prior report of the common database for foreign terrorist fighters Joint advisory opinion no. 02/2016 of 1 December 2016 on the prior report of the common database for foreign terrorist fighters 8

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