Privacy empowers, surveillance weakens

In 2022, European lawmakers proposed new rules with the noble intent to protect children. However, this law allows authorities to have anyone's legitimate conversations monitored.

In doing so, it harms everyone, including those it wants to protect. No one can be protected by making the internet less secure.

Young people say NO to online surveillance

80%

What is this about?

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Why should I care?

Your private chats will be scanned. You won't able to share anything remotely intimate without the risk of your messages, photos and videos ending up in the hands of some governmental institution.

The technology is known to fail. And as a result, you may be accused of being a (child) sexual offender without having done anything wrong.

We can't afford to get it wrong. We all agree: child sexual abuse is a horrendous act. As a society, we shouldn't waste our effort to tackle this issue on actions that are proven to be ineffective and harmful.

What do people say?

Activists rely on encryption to organise

Charalampos Kyritsis

Young activist, Greece

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Young people need encryption to feel empowered

Aura

Young activist, Germany

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People in vulnerable position use encryption to seek safe spaces

Dorothée Hahne

Deputy chairperson of MOGiS e.V., an organisation of victims of sexual child-abuse

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Experts warn that breaking encryption will put everyone under surveillance

Anne Herpertz

Chairwoman Pirate Party Germany

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If we work together, we can protect children whilst upholding confidentiality and security online.

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News & Media

Lawyers advising EU governments warn CSA comes with serious risks to privacy and undermines encryption

The lawyers who are responsible for advising EU Member State governments warn of "a serious risk that it [the CSA Regulation] would be found to compromise the essence of the rights to privacy and data protection", would undermine encryption, and would allow "general and indiscriminate access to the content of personal communications" by companies.

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European Parliament Impact Assessment study slams the CSA proposal

The study concludes the existing CSA Regulation draft violates the prohibition on general data retention and the prohibition against general monitoring obligations, in a way in which it "cannot be justified".

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Over 300 security researchers & academics warn against the measures in CSAR

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EDPB and EDPS have serious concerns regarding CSA Regulation

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) warn of serious data protection and privacy concerns, serious risks for fundamental rights.

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UN questions proposed regulation's compatibility with human rights

The UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk speaks against EU's plans to search all private messages and photos without suspicion, using error-prone algorithms.

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The European Commission's own Scrutiny Board: efficiency not demonstrated

The Board points that the CSA proposal is not sufficiently clear on how measures for detecting new child sexual abuse material/grooming would respect the prohibition of general monitoring obligations and on whether they are even efficient.

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EESC: "disproportionate measures" that open risk for "widespread monitoring"

The EU's European Social and Economic Committee (EESC) shows CSA proposal comes with measures of "disproportionate nature", warns about the "risk of widespread monitoring of all virtual exchanges", questions the approach of "a general sweep of hosting and communication services" and "asks the Commission to make the text better and more specific in order to safeguard secrecy of correspondence and respect for privacy".

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MEPs from different parties: "Refrain from creating or condoning a mass surveillance system"

Members of the European Parliament ring the alarm on EU Commission proposal: "Mass surveillance of digital correspondence specifically would cause widespread uncertainty, distrust and unrest among citizens and businesses".

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