EU Delays Vote on Chat Monitoring - Berlin Issues Caution against Surveillance Proposals
Internet watchdogs have been pushing for tougher measures against online child exploitation for quite some time. In the month of May, 2022, Commissioner Ylva Johansson proposed making it a legal requirement for internet platforms to scan personal chat messages en masse to identify child abuse content. Currently, services like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat only voluntarily report suspicious content to Brussels.
Privacy advocates, however, view these legislative proposals as a violation of citizens' rights. In March, the German Federal Data Protection Officer, Ulrich Kelber, urged the government to block the EU plans, stating that "mass, random reading of private communications" should be banned.
There was a possibility that a consensus on chat monitoring could be reached in Brussels, with a vote by the Permanent Representatives of the Member States scheduled for Thursday. However, it was revealed at the last minute that the required majority was not present.
The issue has been set aside: Protecting children from "heinous crimes" is still a top priority for the Member States, according to Belgium, which is currently leading the Ministerial Councils. The file might now be passed on to Hungary, which will assume the rotating EU Council presidency on July 1.
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- Despite the delay in the EU vote on chat monitoring, Commissioner Ylva Johansson remains committed to combating online child abuse.
- In response to the EU's chat monitoring proposals, German MEP Marco Buschmann from the FDP party strongly advocated for the protection of privacy rights.
- The Brussels-based EU Commission had been pushing for mandatory chat control across various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
- The German Federal Government issued a caution against the EU's surveillance plans, echoing the sentiment of privacy advocates and digital rights groups.
- During a ministerial gathering in Brussels, Belgium expressed its continued commitment to protecting children from online harm, mentioning the "rule of law" as a guiding principle.
- Hungary, set to assume the EU Council presidency in July, is now expected to take up the file on chat monitoring, prompting concerns around how the sensitive issue will be handled.
- In related news, Ulrich Kelber, the German Data Protection Officer, has expressed concerns about potential spy plans and government surveillance on popular social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat.
- Despite the controversy surrounding chat monitoring, tech companies like Facebook and Twitter have recently announced new measures to improve content moderation and keep their platforms safe for users.
