The state tracks the unemployed through IP addresses

In order for the unemployed to receive unemployment benefits, certain requirements must be met. One of these is that the individual must be in Sweden and available for the labor market. This year, the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) has started to verify this in a new way.

When the unemployed log into the Public Employment Service’s system, their IP addresses are traced, and if it is an address outside of Sweden, the benefits may be suspended.

“This is a way to prevent the risk of incorrect payments. We are talking about individuals who are abroad when they should be in Sweden, actively seeking employment or participating in labor market policy programs,” says Andreas Malmgren, operational controller at the Swedish Public Employment Service, to DN.

It was in June that the authority decided to start tracking IP addresses and has already identified 4,000 individuals who have logged in from abroad. Starting in September, these individuals will be contacted by the Swedish Public Employment Service to explain their situation.

According to Malmgren, this should be seen as part of the basis for determining compliance with the rules, but the main rule is that being abroad without approval means that the individual has neglected their participation.

The Swedish Public Employment Service has taken into account that some individuals may be logged in via VPN services that conceal their real IP address, and a special tool will be used to determine this and filter them out.