Your account is dead there’s something wrong…
This pervasive EU ploy has been brewing since 2022 and the birth of Chat Control 1.0.
Only a few platforms have adopted the snoopers charter 1.0 voluntarily. Minor outfits … like you know, Facebook, Instagram, Gmail…Xbox(?).
The EU now proposes that Chat Control 2.0 be made mandatory. I guess the UK would follow suit, unless F****** Farage wins the next election.
This seems to mean that all Facebook and Gmail communications are scanned already.
My concern is not for sexters. There is no reason why this can’t (and won’t) add on political snooping. In fact anyone who has ever posted any pics of their own child on FB or sent via Gmail could be brought in to the algorithm, and further snooping actions could then be blamed on the - naturally, impenetrable - algorithm.
Remarkably few criminal cases seem to be brought for alleged online sex-related crimes, suggesting that the real prize here is much tighter control of the population in general.
Happy to see some reassuring indications that I have this wrong…
ED
Chat Control 2.0 on every smartphone
On 11 May 2022 the European Commission presented a proposal which would make chat control searching mandatory for all e-mail and messenger providers and would even apply to so far securely end-to-end encrypted communication services. Prior to the proposal a public consultation had revealed that a majority of respondents, both citizens and stakeholders, opposed imposing an obligation to use chat control. Over 80% of respondents opposed its application to end-to-end encrypted communications.
Currently a regulation is in place allowing providers to scan communications voluntarily (so-called “Chat Control 1.0”). So far only some unencrypted US communications services such as GMail, Facebook/Instagram Messenger, Skype, Snapchat, iCloud email and X-Box apply chat control voluntarily (more details here). As a result of the mandatory Chat Control 2.0 proposal, the Commission expects a 3.5-fold increase in scanning reports (by 354%).
Parliament has positioned itself almost unanimously against indiscriminate chat control. With supporters and opponents of mandatory chat control irreconcilably opposed among EU governments (EU Council) and no common position adopted, the EU adopted a two-year extension of voluntary chat control 1.0 in 2024 – see timeline and documents. A victim of child sexual abuse and Pirate MEP Patrick Breyer have filed lawsuits to stop the voluntary indiscriminate scanning by US big tech companies (chat control 1.0).