Reality Check: EU Council Chat Control Vote is Not a Retreat, But a Green Light for Indiscriminate Mass Surveillance and the End of Right to Communicate Anonymously
www.patrick-breyer.de
Contrary to headlines suggesting the EU has "backed away" from Chat Control, the negotiating mandate endorsed today by EU ambassadors in a close split vote paves the way for a permanent infrastructure of mass surveillance. Patrick Breyer, digital freedom fighter and expert on the file, warns journal

Contrary to headlines suggesting the EU has “backed away” from Chat Control, the negotiating mandate endorsed today by EU ambassadors in a close split vote paves the way for a permanent infrastructure of mass surveillance.

While the Council removed the obligation for scanning, the agreed text creates a toxic legal framework that incentivizes US tech giants to scan private communications indiscriminately, introduces mandatory age checks for all internet users, and threatens to exclude teenagers from digital life.

The article is non-paywalled, freely readable on the link --^

  • aev_software@programming.dev
    191·
    17 hours ago

    Remember that the Council is meant to protect and enable trade. They only care about citizens for submitting them to exploitation.

    If you discuss “the EU” you have to distinguish between Council and Parliament. The Council has no obligation to act according to the Parliament’s wishes. They are not a democracy.

    • vas@lemmy.mlOP
      3·
      15 hours ago

      Thanks for your comment. I’m still only learning how legislation in the EU works. However, so far I haven’t been able to confirm what you’re saying. Could you help if you know? (I assume not only me, but possibly other readers, too)

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Union

      Here it doesn’t say (almost) anything about “trade”. Admittedly I’ve only read 2-3 pages and then used Ctrl+F to search on the rest of the page though… Is it a de-facto split between the legislative powers of the Council and the Parliament? Where to read about it?