“Brussels plan to scan messages threatens everyone’s security and privacy”
The European Commission’s plan to require chat services and other tech companies to scan all users’ messages and other content for child abuse threatens everyone’s security and privacy and must be stopped, that’s what 85 organizations say on civil and human rights, technology and media in a letter to the European Commission (pdf†
The new legislation that Brussels wants to introduce obliges online service providers to exploit and remove child abuse. Found material must be reported to a new center to be established, which will then inform investigative services and Europol. In the case of child abuse, the issue must be confronting. The American civil rights movement EFF previously signed the “terrible idea”. The plan is also called an attack on end-to-end encryption.
“The Commission’s proposal would require a large number of tech companies, under the guise of fighting child abuse, to scan and analyze their users’ messages. And scanning could be carried out. It could erode end-to-end encryption by install client-side scanning on our devices”, so offers the EFF.
The organizations say the scan plans endanger everyone from lawyers and journalists to human rights activists, political dissidents and future minorities. “The people who need secure communication most are hit the hardest. This also harms abused children who can safely communicate with trustworthy people to seek help,” said Joe Mul.
The organizations ensure that vulnerable groups are continuously scanned by investigative services. Outside the borders of the European Union could be even worse. the system has been developed and can be used worldwide to suppress people. For example, the system can be used to search for political contexts, activists or unions of different behavior and to implement dislike. The 85 organizations therefore the European Commission to withdraw the plans.