Brussels almost never takes “no” for an answer. Unfortunately for opponents of mass surveillance, its desire to push through ‘Chat Control’ legislation is not an exception to this rule.
That’s why when plans for mandatory message scanning—including encrypted communications—collapsed at the end of last month due to privacy concerns, we highlighted that this was only “for now.” The European Union’s plan to kill private messaging was bound to rear its ugly head again.
Former MEP Patrick Breyer said on Tuesday that the setback had prompted officials to seek the approval of “Chat Control 2.0 through the back door,” warning: “Your privacy is on the line.”
🇪🇺🚨 Tomorrow, EU gov's could approve #ChatControl 2.0 through the back door, unleashing mass surveillance to scan ALL your private messages & photos. 🤫 Your privacy is on the line. ℹ️https://t.co/ktJhTc4mW7
Breyer was referring to the discussion on Wednesday of a new legislative package in a closed-door EU working group session. He said a supposed ‘compromise deal’ was actually a “Trojan horse” containing various “poison pills for digital freedom,” thus making it “even more intrusive than the originally rejected plan.”
Tijl De Bie, a Belgian researcher into artificial intelligence, said the new measures amounted to Chat Control “on steroids via the back door,” adding that its approval “would be the ultimate betrayal of … privacy-conscious voters.”
Such action, said Raf Vantongerloo, another tech expert, is typical of Brussels, which “always does this with unpopular legislation.”
They keep introducing it every year or so, slightly altered to appease the MEPs that voted against. Meanwhile, the lobbying continues … so eventually they get their laws approved.
Those practices should be illegal.
Its supporters (dubiously) argue that the legislation is essential to help the fight against child pornography. In fact, Netzpolitik, a German news site that focuses on digital rights, suggests that those in favour of chat monitoring are “preventing discussion” of effective, “specific solutions.”
Breyer said a result from the working group session can be expected on Thursday, “at best.”
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
