"Chat control" of the EU

MEPs warn against surveillance of our cell phones

The EU member states would like to oblige providers of encrypted chat apps such as WhatsApp or Signal to scan images and audio content sent.

(Bild: AFP)

In view of renewed plans by the Council of the EU Member States to introduce so-called "chat control", MEPs from several countries - including Austria - are warning of a "climate of general suspicion" and damage to the EU's image as a "guarantor of freedom". 

The latest compromise proposal from the Belgian Council Presidency also represents an encroachment on fundamental digital rights, according to the open letter from several MEPs. The signatories also include Austrian National Council members Süleyman Zorba and Georg Bürstmayr from the Greens, Nikolaus Scherak from the NEOS and Katharina Kucharowits (SPÖ).

Operators warn against weakening encryption
The operators of the apps whose surveillance is to be promoted are also warning against the plan. Signal President Meredith Whittaker: "No matter whether you call it backdoor, frontdoor or upload moderation: It undermines encryption and creates significant vulnerabilities."

EU justifies plans with the fight against child abuse
In 2022, the EU Commission presented a draft law aimed at curbing the spread of child abuse images on the internet. However, critics complain that this would force providers of messenger services such as Whatsapp, Telegram or Signal to create technical means of gaining access to private chat messages. This would make secure end-to-end encryption impossible.

Due to such concerns, negotiations at EU level have recently stalled. However, a new proposal is now to be discussed at a meeting of EU diplomats in Brussels on Wednesday. As recently reported, the department of Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) has also lobbied behind the scenes for a new attempt.

Specifically, the Belgian proposal envisages that messenger services would only have to scan image and video material for child abuse depictions. Users who refused access to their messages would then no longer be able to send images and videos.

This would in turn affect the children themselves - who are to be protected by the planned EU law - write the MEPs from Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in their letter to the Council of the EU member states. "This also applies to providing children and victims of sexual abuse with access to safe emergency and support services - especially in countries where victim support organizations cannot rely on the support and confidentiality of state law enforcement authorities."

Nofreedom of expression without privacy
In democratic societies, privacy would be necessary for the free formation of will and opinion. Backdoors in communication systems could also easily be used for other surveillance purposes and by cyber criminals. The MEPs also warn that the planned law could be overturned by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

The signatories, on the other hand, advocate strengthening the protection and prevention of child abuse and providing the investigating authority and victim protection with more resources instead of relying on a "false sense of security" through purely technical solutions.