Germany wants to further prevent chat control in Europe
Germany continues to oppose spying on encrypted private chats in Europe. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) said on the fringes of a meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels that the German government remains opposed to the state monitoring private communications without cause. "Digital civil rights are not second-class civil rights," he emphasized.
Buschmann commented on the EU Commission's plans to take action against depictions of child abuse on the internet. Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson originally wanted to introduce legislation to oblige internet platforms to spy on private chat messages.
However, the legislative plans failed due to opposition from Berlin, among others. Buschmann emphasized that the German government had "a lot of support for its concerns, including from the European Parliament".
The EU Commission now wants to allow the controversial chat control to continue on a voluntary basis for the time being. According to Friday, internet platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat will be allowed to screen private messages or posts for offensive content for up to two more years. The extension is to take effect from August 4 of next year.
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Buschmann highlighted the importance of upholding digital civil rights in Europe, stating that they are not inferior to traditional civil rights. Despite the EU Commission's proposal for voluntary chat control to continue, Germany's stance against state-mandated monitoring of private chats remains firm, having garnered support from various EU entities.
Source: www.ntv.de
