Parliamentarians from European countries warn against ‘chat control’

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BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Several dozen parliamentarians from European countries have criticized the EU Commission’s plans for so-called chat control. In a written declaration, the 30 signatories state that combating sexualised violence against children is also a high priority for them. From their point of view, however, the proposal formulated by the Commission would oblige providers to introduce software to check the content of communications, overturn end-to-end encryption and result in the scanning of personal cloud storage.

Any member can sign a written declaration posted on the website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The signatories to the declaration on the “protection of children and fundamental European rights”, which goes back to an initiative by the deputy leader of the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, include MPs from Austria, Slovenia, Denmark, Ukraine, France and the United States Switzerland. In addition to several FDP politicians, the Greens Bundestag deputies Julian Pahlke and Max Lucks as well as the AfD deputy Norbert Kleinwaechter joined from Germany.

In May 2022, the EU Interior Commissioner, Ylva Johansson, presented a proposal for a regulation to curb the spread of images showing the sexual abuse of children. Critics use the keyword “chat control” for this. They see it as an attempt to scan all communication on the network, including encrypted messages, and fear mass surveillance. EU countries and the European Parliament have not yet voted on their position on the proposed law. Interior ministers had recently shown themselves to be open to it.

In April, the federal government had raised considerable concerns about the EU Commission’s proposal. In a statement coordinated between the ministries for family, justice, home affairs, family and digital affairs, it said at the time: “From the point of view of the federal government, significant changes are required in the draft regulation so that it can be approved from a German point of view.”/abc/DP /e.g