The scanning trip, so far without success, of the Ez . of the bill that seeks to address existing privacy concerns.
Considered chat control by his critics, the bill is a way of stopping the dissemination of CSAM’s content online scanning all people’s communications. According to Poland’s new proposal, however, the scan would volunteer and classified as “prevention.”
Despite looking like a step in the right direction in the battle to safeguard encrypted communications, privacy experts are not completely sold in this solution, warning that some problems remain.
“Important progress but not yet acceptable due to mass surveillance,” said Patrick Breyer of the German Pirate Party. Elina Eickstädt also shared a similar opinion, spokesman for the Chaos Computer Club, who pointed out how the new proposal makes more questions than she answers: the Netzpolitik digital rights group reported.
The end of online anonymity?
Chat Control has seen many turns and turns since the European Commission presented the first version of the bill in May 2022.
The initial plan required messaging services and email suppliers to scan the messages of all people in the illegal material watchman, regardless of whether they were encrypted, such as WhatsApp or Signal Chats.
A diluted version would then adjust the objective towards photos, videos and URL shared with the permission of the users. However, these changes were not enough to convince most legislators, and the last December vote did not vote for the majority necessary once more.
Poland’s proposal, as Breyer of the Pirate Party pointed out, represents a “great leap forward” to protect the fundamental right of Europeans to maintain their digital correspondence in private.
He said: “I would protect the safe encryption and, therefore, maintain our safe smartphones. However, three fundamental problems are still unresolved.”
🇬🇧Half-Good New proposal for #ChatControl will be discussed on Wednesday: #ChatControl would remain voluntary. I would keep #ensryption safe. But the #ChatControl 1.0 volunteer would remain a general mass surveillance. (1/2)January 31, 2025
To begin with, Breyer explains that, although Meta, Microsoft or Google can decide whether or not to implement the CSAM scan, this could still cause massive not directed. This is the reason why the European Parliament has proposed a different approach, which implies making searches mandatory but limiting them to people or groups related to child sexual abuse.
Breyer is also concerned about article 6 of the proposal, which would prevent users under 16 from installing popular applications, including encrypted messaging applications, social networks, videoconference services and even online games. While this minimum age would be easy to avoid, for example, by using one of the best VPN services, Breyer believes that he would also disapprove adolescents instead of strengthening them.
Last but not least, Poland’s proposal did not change the controversial article 4 (3), for which users would be forbidden to configure anonymous email or messaging accounts. “This would inhibit, for example, sensitive chats related to sexuality, communications of anonymous media with sources (for example, complainants) and political activity,” says Breyer.
What follows?
As mentioned above, legislators are ready to discuss the new chat control proposal on Wednesday.
When asked what is likely that this version finally obtains the number of votes necessary, Breyer told Techradar to be skeptical about most hard line that agree to take control of mandatory chat.
He said: “It is likely that the proposal comes too far for most EU governments and EU commission whose positions are so extreme that they will prefer to disappoint the victims completely than accepting an approach provided, proof of the proof of the Cut and politically acceptable “
