<<ALMEDALEN 2025 >> Business Leaders Warn: Espionage, Infiltration, and Technology Theft Are Already Happening
What was once seen as a helpful recruitment tool has now become a national security concern. In an Almedalen panel hosted by TechArena on corporate infiltration and espionage, senior representatives from Swedish industry stressed the critical importance of background checks, and what is at stake as legislation changes.
“We are talking about sensitive information, critical infrastructure, and global geopolitical tension. Background checks are not a ‘nice to have’, they’re a must,” said Fredrik Robertsson, Chief Security Officer at Ericsson.
A Changing Legal Landscape
A Changing Legal LandscapeAt the heart of the debate is a court ruling that, in practice, prohibits companies from conducting the kind of background checks they have relied on to safeguard operations. This comes as a new survey by Teknikföretagen shows that 96% of companies say they need to conduct such checks, and 78% report that the need has grown over the past decade.
“We hire 200 people a month, many from abroad. Our customers require us to perform background checks, but Swedish legislation now makes that difficult. That affects our competitiveness,” said Anna Svensson, Global Head of Power Electronics at Hitachi Energy.
The Threat Landscape: Data, Technology, and People
The company representatives, Hitachi, Volvo Group, and Ericsson, were unanimous: the threat is both internal and external. It is about protecting intellectual property, customer information, and critical systems from unauthorized access. But also about creating safety for employees.
“We have a responsibility as employers. If someone is pressured to leak information, it means we failed to protect them and the company,” said Anna Svensson.
Fredrik Robertsson added:
“We know there are groups, including organized crime, trying to infiltrate companies via employment. We need to know who we are hiring, not to exclude people, but to make professional risk assessments.”
Balancing Privacy With Risk Management
The panel emphasized that background checks are not about arbitrarily filtering people out. On the contrary, each case must be assessed individually, in context, and handled professionally.
“We do not have a rigid process. If something comes up in a person’s background, we assess it, often together with the individual. It is not about shutting doors, but about protecting our operations and people,” said Fredrik Robertsson.
Cecilia Hallengren Aronsson, SVP People and Culture at Volvo Group, stressed the importance of transparency:
“There has to be a structured, transparent process. Candidates should know what is being checked—and why.”
Political Response: “We Need Creative Solutions”
In the second half of the session, three Swedish MPs joined the stage: Malin Björk (Centre Party), Heléne Björklund (Social Democrats), and Mikael Damberg (Social Democrats). All acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and called for solutions that balance privacy, business needs, and EU legal requirements.
“Other countries have developed systems where certain companies, through certification or licensing, can carry out background checks under supervision. That could be a way forward for Sweden too,” said Malin Björk (C).
Heléne Björklund (S), with experience from the Defense Committee, highlighted the need for competence:
“This is difficult. We need to create national guidance around who should perform these checks, and how.”
Mikael Damberg (S) confirmed that work is underway, but there is no clear timeline for new legislation:
“An intense effort is ongoing. The court ruling was a wake-up call. We now need broad dialogue and swift action before this damages our industry.”
Summary: A National Concern
Background checks have evolved from an HR routine to a matter of national security, international competitiveness, and trust. All parties, from business leaders to politicians, seem to agree that these tools are needed. The challenge now is finding a lawful and practical way forward.
“We must not create legislation that sabotages our export industry. Security and competitiveness must go hand in hand,” concluded Anna Svensson.
Stay tuned for the next upcoming CEO Network this fall, on espionage and security.
