In a move that shocked rights groups and democracy advocates across Latin America, Ecuador’s National Assembly approved the controversial Organic Law on Intelligence on June 11, 2025 — a law that grants sweeping surveillance powers to the state, allowing it to spy on citizens without judicial oversight, hide intelligence agency expenditures, and undermine transparency and accountability mechanisms.
This legislation is not just about “security” — it represents a dangerous shift toward authoritarian control, wrapped in the rhetoric of fighting organized crime.
one legislator from the opposition Citizen Revolution party, David Arias, unexpectedly supported the bill. His party expelled him within hours, calling his vote a betrayal of democracy.
So, what does this law actually do?
It gives state intelligence agencies:
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Power to intercept phone calls and communications without a court order.
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Real-time and historical access to personal data of citizens.
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Authority to create new fake identities for intelligence agents through the civil registry.
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Immunity from accountability — their budgets and operations are now classified.
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Legal right to demand private employee data from any company — including telecom providers.
The most alarming part? The judiciary is completely excluded from the surveillance process. Intelligence officers no longer need warrants or permission from a judge to invade a citizen’s privacy. And the information collected can be used to launch legal action against people — not just for crimes like terrorism, but for undefined “threats” to the state.
The law claims that the State Comptroller General will oversee these intelligence activities. But under this law, once the comptroller reviews a report, they are required to destroy all related documents — effectively erasing any trace of the surveillance. This is not accountability; it’s institutionalized secrecy.
A new National Intelligence System (SNI) will coordinate the entire surveillance network, led by a presidential appointee and composed of representatives from the police, military, tax offices, customs, prisons, and even financial and cyber units. In other words: a centralized intelligence state apparatus directly under presidential command.
️ A Global Trend Towards Technocratic Authoritarianism
This isn’t just Ecuador. Countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and Myanmar have also passed similar laws under the pretext of “national security.” But critics argue this global trend represents the systematic erosion of civil liberties, especially under right-wing regimes looking to consolidate power.
Ecuador’s law now joins this growing list of legislation that allows the militarization of information, treating citizens not as participants in a democracy but as potential suspects in a digital prison.
Ricardo Patiño, a former Minister of Defense and current opposition MP, said it clearly:
“With Noboa’s new law, the government can access your chats and calls without needing a judge. This is a grave threat to privacy and can be used to persecute political opponents.”
Journalist Elena Rodrigues of Telesur also warned:
“This is legalized espionage. In any democracy, intrusion into private life must be supervised by an impartial judicial body. This law bypasses that entirely.”
She went further to describe the chilling implications for the press:
“This law will silence journalists. They can be forced to reveal sources. It dismantles the media’s role as a watchdog.”
Diego Vintimilla, ideological secretary of Ecuador’s Communist Party, argues that this is not about fighting gangs or drug traffickers. It’s about controlling the population and neutralizing political resistance. He said:
“This law sends a message: ‘You are being watched. You cannot organize. You cannot protest.’”
He warns that political engagement itself could now be criminalized — if the government declares your activity a “threat.” Surveillance will not be limited to criminals, but will extend to activists, students, journalists, and anyone critical of the regime.
And for those who argue “I have nothing to hide,” Vintimilla replies:
“Surveillance is not just about crime. It’s about power. Today it’s someone else — tomorrow it’s you.”
This law, masked as a response to Ecuador’s security crisis, is in reality a blueprint for authoritarian governance. It does not make people safer — it simply makes them more controllable. It shifts power away from the judiciary and public oversight, and into the hands of the executive.
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It puts journalists at risk.
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It silences dissent.
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It weakens democratic institutions.
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It enables political persecution.
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It builds a digital surveillance state.
This is not just about Ecuador. It’s about a global rise of digital authoritarianism, especially under right-wing regimes. Surveillance without accountability is not security — it is suppression.
Online Peoples News calls on all defenders of democracy, freedom of expression, and civil rights to:
Spread awareness about this law.
Pressure international human rights bodies to investigate.
Stand in solidarity with Ecuadorian activists, journalists, and leftist forces resisting this authoritarian shift.
If we stay silent now, it could be our freedom tomorrow.
✊ Let us speak, share, and fight — before speaking itself becomes a crime.