Germany has committed to oppose the EU’s controversial “Chat Control” regulations following huge pressure from multiple activists and major organizations.
The draft regs would allow authorities to compel providers of communications services – such as WhatsApp, Signal, etc – to monitor user comms for potential child sexual abuse material. And they wouldn’t exempt encrypted services.
Jens Spahn, a member of the Bundestag for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – part of the ruling coalition in the country – confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that the German government would not allow the proposed regulations, which are commonly referred to as Chat Control, to become law.
“We, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, are opposed to the unwarranted monitoring of chats. That would be like opening all letters as a precautionary measure to see if there is anything illegal in them. That is not acceptable, and we will not allow it.”
As The Reg has mentioned previously, to pass the legislation, EU leaders need support from nations representing the majority of the member-state bloc’s population – which is why Germany’s is a key player.
The news follows speculation last week that Germany would reverse its stance and oppose the Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Regulation, which EU politicians have tried to pass since it was first tabled in 2022.
Essentially, it’s the EU’s version of the UK’s long-held ambition to force encrypted messaging platforms to break end-to-end encryption (E2EE), packaged under a similar guise.
If passed, the CSA Regulation would require communications platforms to deploy AI-powered content filters to ensure CSA material was blocked, and those possessing and sharing it be brought to justice.
And, of course, would also undermine E2EE, theoretically allowing the EU to spy on any citizen’s private communications.
So far, Chat Control has naturally received similarly heated opposition as the UK’s equivalent plans, first through the Investigatory Powers Act and later through the Online Safety Act.
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Source: Germany slams brakes on EU’s Chat Control snoopfest • The Register
Robin Edgar
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