Seems misleading. The Norwegians are performing background checks.
However in Norway, by law they cannot accept criminal records from 3rd countries. So instead of foreign criminal records, they use alternate information to complete the background checks. E.g., they may verify any Crew or Airport IDs currently held by applicants, or check the status on foreign security clearances, verify the applicant's employment history in civil aviation, etc.
The debate is whether the use of alternate information to complete the background checks is acceptable or not.
I seem to recall this has been discussed here before. Hard to say if this is really a security concern or a job protection concern.