chat control

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Chatcontrol ediția 2025 pe scurt (română) - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- A Danish initiative calls for EU member states to force WhatsApp, Signal, and similar apps to use AI to scan all photos and links for potential child pornography.
- If the AI has any doubt about content, the user's photo, location, phone number, and other details will be reported to Europol and local police, leading to potential consequences like police questioning.
- The regulation has a low threshold for reporting, requiring only a 'manifestly unfounded' exception, and even legal content may have copies retained in databases.
- Users who deny permission for AI scanning may lose the ability to send photos and links, and Signal may stop accepting EU users to avoid implementing the law.
- Police and child protection experts report being overwhelmed, suggesting that resources are not being directed to criminal investigation, training, or international cooperation.
- The law may create a massive US-owned surveillance center, with history showing surveillance capabilities often expand in scope, and governments have exempted their own police and military.
- Germany is poised to support the legislation, potentially making it law, and other governments appear to follow suit.
Chatcontrol: Of de Amerikanen onze WhatsApp foto's willen melden bij Europol - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Under Denmark's lead, many EU member states are pushing to force messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to scan all photos and links with AI for potential child sexual abuse material.
- If the AI has any doubt, the photo, location, phone number, and other data are sent to a new EU Centre, then to Europol and local police, with no clear process for what happens next.
- The AI is built by WhatsApp/Meta/Facebook, meaning they monitor users on behalf of the EU; all photos are scanned without any specific suspicion.
- Even if a photo is deemed legal, a copy is retained by the EU Centre for potential future use.
- Users who refuse consent for AI scanning will lose the ability to send images and links; Signal has threatened to leave the EU if forced to implement such scanning.
- Police and experts already overwhelmed with reports; politicians often claim to act 'for the children' but rarely provide more resources for child protection units.
- The proposal creates a massive surveillance system run by Americans, while EU governments exempt their own police, military, and intelligence services from the law.
- The Dutch government opposes the AI scanning requirement, but it remains a contentious issue, especially with upcoming elections.
- The EU also has a broader ProtectEU strategy to give police more access to communications, including new rules for wiretapping specific messages.
Konversacia kontrolo 2025 (mallonge) - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Denmark-led EU proposal requires messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to use AI to scan all photos and links for suspected child abuse material.
- If AI detects suspicion, user data (photo, location, phone number) is automatically reported to Europol and local police.
- Under the proposed law, WhatsApp would demand permission to scan; without it, users cannot share photos or links. Signal may withdraw from the EU.
- Critics, including police and experts, argue they already have enough work, false reports are unhelpful, and it creates a surveillance system controlled by the US.
- Governments have exempted themselves (police, military, prosecutors) from the law, raising concerns about abuse of power.
- The German government supports the proposal, and the author urges citizens to contact their politicians to oppose it.
Chatcontrol édition 2025 en bref - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Under Danish leadership, many EU member states demand that messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal inspect all photos and links using AI, with any suspicion of child pornography triggering automatic reporting to Europol and local police.
- The AI scanning would include location, phone number, and other details, and users could face local police questioning even for benign photos, with copies stored indefinitely even if deemed legal.
- If the regulation passes, WhatsApp would require permission to scan all shared content, and Signal has stated it would leave the EU rather than comply.
- The proposal exempts police, military, and national security personnel from the scanning, raising concerns about surveillance creep and misuse of data.
- Critics argue that resources would be better spent on training and international cooperation rather than mass surveillance, and that the AI threshold for reporting is dangerously low.
Chatcontrol 2025: Resumen - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- Under Danish leadership, many EU countries propose forcing messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to use AI to scan all photos and links for child abuse material, sending reports with personal data even on slight suspicion.
- The AI would be developed by Meta/WhatsApp, outsourcing surveillance to US companies; the threshold for reporting is low (unless 'manifestly unfounded').
- Even if photos are deemed legal, copies may be retained for future use.
- Users who do not consent to scanning will lose the ability to share images and links; Signal has threatened to leave the EU.
- The proposal originally did not include AI; it was added recently.
- Police and child exploitation experts are already overwhelmed and argue for more resources for specialized units rather than mass surveillance.
- Governments have exempted themselves from the law, suggesting awareness of potential misuse.
- The German government is likely to support the proposal, increasing its chances of becoming law.
EU Parliament greenlights Chat Control 1.0 – Breyer: "Our children lose out"
3 months ago
- The European Parliament allowed the suspicionless mass scanning of private communications (Chat Control 1.0) to pass, despite a majority of voting MEPs opposing it, due to procedural rules requiring an absolute majority to reject.
- An exemption for encrypted communications was adopted, but in practice, service providers do not scan these anyway. An amendment to restrict scanning to suspects identified by the judiciary also failed to secure the required majority.
- Critics, including Dr. Patrick Breyer, warn that Chat Control damages democracy, jeopardizes genuine child protection, and serves as a smokescreen that delays real action while overwhelming police with false alarms.
- The interim regulation will remain in effect until 2028 or until a permanent agreement is reached. Negotiations for permanent law (Chat Control 2.0) will resume in September, with disputes over indiscriminate vs. targeted scanning.
- Under Chat Control 1.0, US tech companies can scan private messages without a warrant on platforms like Instagram and Gmail, but end-to-end encrypted chats (e.g., WhatsApp) and European providers are exempt.
- Data shows that mass scanning has limited effectiveness: abuse reports from the US dropped by 50% due to encryption, only 36% of reports came from private chats in 2024, and many alerts are not criminally relevant or target minors.
- Survivors of sexual violence argue that untargeted Chat Control does not help victims, emphasizing the need for privacy to seek justice and criticizing it as a tool for Big Tech profiteering and state mass surveillance.
- Negotiations for a permanent CSAM Regulation are stalled as EU member states insist on voluntary, suspicionless scanning, while the Parliament advocates for targeted detection orders, an EU Child Protection Centre, and strict security standards.
EU now one step away from reviving private message scanning rules
3 months ago
- The European Parliament voted 331-304 to fast-track legislation that would revive the expired "Chat Control 1.0" rules, allowing a decisive vote on July 9.
- This legislation would permit online platforms to voluntarily scan private user communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), separate from the ongoing "Chat Control 2.0" negotiations for a permanent framework.
- The temporary regulation (EU) 2021/1232 expired in April 2026, and the Council seeks to reintroduce it, criticized as an unprecedented revival of rejected legislation.
- The July 9 vote requires an absolute majority of 361 MEPs to reject or amend the proposal; otherwise, the Council's text proceeds without additional safeguards.
- Key disagreements in the permanent regulation involve suspicionless scanning of encrypted communications, with Parliament advocating for judicial authorization and the Council supporting broader voluntary measures.
- The EU is pursuing two parallel legislative tracks: one to restore temporary voluntary scanning and another for a permanent CSAM detection law.

chat control

Chatcontrol ediția 2025 pe scurt (română) - Bert Hubert's writings

Chatcontrol: Of de Amerikanen onze WhatsApp foto's willen melden bij Europol - Bert Hubert's writings

Konversacia kontrolo 2025 (mallonge) - Bert Hubert's writings

Chatcontrol édition 2025 en bref - Bert Hubert's writings

Chatcontrol 2025: Resumen - Bert Hubert's writings

EU Parliament greenlights Chat Control 1.0 – Breyer: "Our children lose out"

EU now one step away from reviving private message scanning rules