The party has already identified this measure, first introduced as part of the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation to sniff out illegal content, as one of its primary targets upon its return to the European Parliament.
Though its public justification appears reasonable, Chat Control would in fact hand Brussels the ability to read every piece of digital communication sent by an EU citizen, effectively ending the privacy of online conversations.
SD MEP Charlie Weimers said on Monday that the measure brings Europe a “step closer to Chinese internet censorship.”
Unlike the EU Commission, we see that there is no working way to go in and tamper with the total encryption [of messages] without abolishing the possibility of private communication and facing … an East German model where the authorities are basically given the right to open every letter.
Sverigedemokraterna kommer fortsätta leda motståndet mot #ChatControl i EU-parlamentet.
Tack för alla era brev och meddelanden om Ylva Johanssons vansinniga övervakningslag. Den ska aldrig bli verklighet! pic.twitter.com/u8XKLQQxyl
Perhaps most notably, Weimers revealed that “many people” are contacting him by email and by post, sharing their concerns about Chat Control. Other MEPs may speak out against the measure if citizens pressure them on the issue, too.
Officials from the Social Democratic Party of Croatia also said on Tuesday, September 2nd, that “Croatia without freedom and privacy is not the Croatia we want,” warning: “Chat Control threatens the fundamental rights of all of us.”
Hrvatska bez slobode i privatnosti nije Hrvatska kakvu želimo!
The EU Council is expected to provide an update on the measure on September 12th.
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_.
