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Chatcontrol édition 2025 en bref - Bert Hubert's writings
a day 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
a day 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"
20 days 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
20 days 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.

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chat control

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