Tehovalvonta

Tehovalvonta is a Finnish term referring to intensified monitoring and enforcement activities conducted by public authorities to prevent and detect non-compliance, fraud, and abuse. The word combines teho (intensity or force) and valvonta (surveillance or monitoring). In practice, tehovalvonta may involve risk-based inspections, targeted audits, data cross-checks between agencies, new analytics, and more frequent follow-up visits, with the aim of ensuring adherence to regulations in areas such as social security, taxation, employment benefits, immigration, procurement, and workplace safety.

It is usually triggered by risk indicators or anomalies rather than universal checks. In Finland, tehovalvonta operates within the framework of data protection and privacy laws, and agencies must respect principles of necessity, proportionality, and transparency; procedures include oversight, and individuals can challenge decisions. The approach often relies on collaboration between multiple authorities to share information and coordinate actions.

Supporters argue that tehovalvonta improves efficiency, protects public resources, and reduces fraud, while critics worry about privacy, stigmatization, and potential targeting of vulnerable groups. Debates commonly focus on balancing effective enforcement with civil liberties, as well as issues of governance, accountability, and proportionality. The concept is discussed in the context of Finnish public administration and, more broadly, in discussions of data protection and administrative reform.