eu regulation

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Chatcontrol 2025 (resum, Catalan) - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- EU member states, urged by Denmark, want messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to use AI to scan all photos and links for potential child pornography.
- If AI detects suspicion, user data (photo, location, phone number) is automatically reported to Europol and local police.
- Even if a photo is deemed legal, a copy is retained in a database for potential future use.
- Users who refuse AI scanning for their photos and links would lose the ability to share them on WhatsApp.
- Signal has stated it will leave the EU if this regulation passes.
- Previous versions of the proposal did not include AI scanning, which was added recently.
- Police and child protection experts are already overwhelmed, and politicians often fail to provide additional resources for anti-pedophile efforts.
- The proposal creates a massive surveillance system controlled by US companies, with potential for misuse as governments have exempted their own police, military, and national security personnel from the law.
- The German government is likely to support the proposal, which could lead to it becoming law.
The EU's new Cyber Resilience Act is about to tell us how to code - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- The EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) imposes mandatory cybersecurity requirements on almost all software and connected devices sold in the EU, with fines up to €15 million or 2.5% of annual turnover.
- Key requirements include secure-by-default configurations, no known exploitable vulnerabilities, protection against unauthorized access, data encryption, minimization, and denial-of-service resilience.
- Open source software has a vague carve-out, but many fear it will apply if any commercial activity is involved, potentially chilling open source innovation.
- Standards to interpret the essential requirements will be set by European bodies (CEN, CENELEC, or ETSI) in a process that lacks transparency and may be dominated by large corporations.
- Critical products require third-party audits by notified bodies, but there is currently insufficient capacity and no established standards for such audits.
- The CRA may harm European innovation and international cooperation, as non-EU projects might avoid EU contributors or users to evade liability.
- The author recommends contacting national ministries and suggests the act should not be rushed; a narrower initial scope could reduce negative impacts.
Proportionaliteit EU regelgeving materiaal misbruik kinderen - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- The EU proposal mandates scanning of all interpersonal communications (WhatsApp, etc.) for known and unknown child abuse material and grooming, affecting 500 million Europeans without exceptions for journalists, doctors, lawyers, or clergy.
- Proportionality analysis requires balancing the potential prevention of child abuse against the harms from false positives, privacy intrusions, and cybersecurity risks.
- Scanners are imperfect, leading to many false alarms; false positives can trigger police investigations that are highly damaging, as seen in the Dutch childcare benefits scandal.
- Even scanning only known material via fingerprints poses risks: databases may contain innocuous images, fingerprints can be manipulated, and the technology is opaque.
- The proposal violates recent privacy jurisprudence treating phones as private spaces, and bulk surveillance of non-suspects is likely unlawful.
- The scanner creates new attack surfaces for spyware like Pegasus and Predator, and EU bureaucracy could slow security updates, while data leaks from EU databases could devastate individuals.
- The proposal is disproportionate, likely to lose in court, and risks creating a new scandal similar to the Dutch childcare benefits affair.
Накратко за Chatcontrol 2025 - Bert Hubert's writings
2 months ago
- EU member states, led by Denmark, support mandatory scanning of images and links shared in chat apps like WhatsApp and Signal.
- AI will automatically scan content; if it suspects child pornography, your photo, location, phone number, and other info will be reported to Europol and local police.
- The consequences after reporting are unclear, but users may face unexpected police questioning abroad about their shared content.
- AI systems will be created and deployed by chat app companies, monitoring users on behalf of the EU.
- All content must be reported unless there is a 'manifestly unfounded' reason, meaning no substantial legal or factual analysis is needed.
- Even if a reported case is found innocent, a copy of the file will be retained in a database for future investigations.
- If the regulation passes, apps like WhatsApp will ask for permission to access all your shared photos and links, and their AI will autonomously decide whether to alert authorities.
- Police and child exploitation experts are already overwhelmed by the number of reports, yet politicians often fail to provide more resources for enforcement.
- The proposal creates a massive surveillance hub run by US corporations or third parties, which could later be used for other exploitative purposes.
- Governments have conveniently exempted their own security services, police, and military from the regulation.
- Germany is expected to support the proposal, likely making it law, and other governments are also backing it despite known risks.
- The text urges citizens to contact their representatives in the Bulgarian and European parliaments to voice their opinion.
Reddit is now asking age verification for all users in the EU
3 months ago
- Reddit is implementing mandatory age verification for all users in the European Union.
- This measure is aimed at complying with EU regulations.
- Users express concerns over privacy and the practicality of the verification process.
Cyber Resilience Act
3 months ago
- The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) is an EU regulation aimed at ensuring digital products are safe from cyber threats.
- It mandates cybersecurity requirements for manufacturers during the planning, design, development, and maintenance of products.
- The Act addresses low cybersecurity levels and lack of timely updates in hardware and software with digital elements.
- Some high-risk products require third-party assessments before being sold in the EU market.
- Compliant products will carry a CE marking, with enforcement by national market surveillance authorities.
- The CRA entered into force on 10 December 2024, with main obligations applying from 11 December 2027.
- It builds on the 2020 EU Cybersecurity Strategy and complements the NIS2 Directive.
EU wants 13+ age restriction for social media
3 months ago
- EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to impose age-based restrictions on young users accessing social media without parental supervision.
- A key recommendation from an expert panel is that minors under 13 should only have "time-limited" access to social media, under parental supervision.
- The measure aims to prevent social media from accessing children, emphasizing that the issue is about protecting children from potential online harms rather than simply restricting their access.

eu regulation

Chatcontrol 2025 (resum, Catalan) - Bert Hubert's writings

The EU's new Cyber Resilience Act is about to tell us how to code - Bert Hubert's writings

Proportionaliteit EU regelgeving materiaal misbruik kinderen - Bert Hubert's writings

Накратко за Chatcontrol 2025 - Bert Hubert's writings

Reddit is now asking age verification for all users in the EU

Cyber Resilience Act

EU wants 13+ age restriction for social media