According to the European leader, the encryption techniques used by technology giants can threaten European democracy.
Catherine de Bolle, head of Europol, would like to access the authorities with encrypted messages of message services. Nicolas Maeterlinck
According to Catherine de Bolle, the leader of Europol, technology giants should work more with law enforcement officers. De Bolle believes that encryptions used in instant messaging services can even threaten European democracy. De Bolle commented on the matter For the Financial Times Under the Davos Economic Forum.
De Bolle intends to meet representatives of technology companies in connection with the Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. According to him, companies have “social responsibility” to give the police access to the encrypted messages used by the criminals.
The Europol leader believes that anonymity online is not a fundamental right. Instead of comparing the encryption of messages with letter secret, he compares it to the home search permit and the general public to want the police to enter a locked house where they know that the criminal is staying.
Requirements to access to encrypted messages are justified by, among other things, eradicating child pornography. Message services companies, such as Apple, Meta and Signal, have opposed the requirements of the authorities. Message service providers are invoking that the weakening of encryption would endanger the privacy and safety of users.
Finland opposes
In the EU, there is a bill under Hungary’s leadership that would force the message services to create back gates for the authorities. According to opponents, it is impossible to create such back gates so that they cannot be abused.
In Finland, the Grand Committee of Parliament decided in November to oppose this CSAM regulation. Opinions were made by the Committee on Transport and Communications, the Committee on Administration and the Constitutional Committee, all of whom recommended rejecting the bill.
Earlier in the autumn, the government had taken a positive position on the regulation.
The Committee on Transport and Communications looked at their own in his statementthat the entry into force of the bill would mean large -scale mass control of communications, impaired safety of services, and yet very limited benefits for criminal investigation. In its opinion, the Committee also mentioned that the fundamental rights should be realized and that the law would circumvent the ultimate purpose of encryption, the confidentiality of communication.
According to the statement, the matter would be comparable to a situation where “the mail would be required to check the content of the letters before closing the envelope.”