Denmark wants to push through Chat Control
5 hours ago
- #EU Policy
- #Digital Privacy
- #Child Protection
- The EU has been debating mandatory chat control for over three years, with the Commission pushing for internet services to scan user content for criminal activity and report suspicions to authorities.
- The European Parliament opposes this as mass surveillance, advocating instead for scanning only unencrypted content from suspects.
- Denmark, currently holding the EU presidency, supports mandatory chat control and client-side scanning, aiming for approval by justice and interior ministers on October 14.
- Previous proposals to make chat control voluntary and exclude encrypted communication have been reversed by Denmark.
- A significant number of EU states support extensive chat control, but a blocking minority opposes it, citing privacy and data protection concerns.
- France, previously skeptical, now largely agrees with the draft, supporting both mandatory chat control and client-side scanning, deeming it proportionate.
- Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, and Austria oppose the Danish proposal, emphasizing privacy, data protection, and proportionality issues.
- Germany's position remains undecided, with internal government discussions ongoing. A shift in Germany's stance could be pivotal for the proposal's success.
- Experts and the EU Council's legal service criticize chat control as unlawful and disproportionate, with high rates of false alarms and technical flaws acknowledged.
- The Commission missed its deadline to report on voluntary chat control's proportionality and technical progress, breaking its own legal requirement.