What was the chat control again?

The European Commission is planning a law with which in the future all messages, texts, picture and video messages of every EU citizen will be searched with the help of artificial intelligence always and without a reasonable suspicion for indications of child pornography and molestation of children.

Suspicious cases are automatically forwarded to law enforcement.

Learn more: Chat control video, background article

What do experts have to say about this?

In a hearing on the topic of “chat control” on 03.03.2023 in the Digital Committee of the German Bundestag, child protectors, law enforcement, human rights activists and IT experts agree that the planned law will neither curb child abuse, nor the distribution of child pornography material. They recommend the German government to lobby the EU Commission against this law.

Markus Hartmann, General Prosecutor’s Office Cologne in the video: “There is no prosecution at any price. And even if, to use an analogous example, we allow camera surveillance in public places and crime hotspots (to fight crime), we do not hang cameras in every private home. The privacy intrusion involved would be too high.”

What can you do about it?

The EU Commission’s planned “chat control” threatens privacy, freedom and online security in Europe. At this point, it is impossible to tell whether our federal government, with Interior Secretary Nancy Faser, will actively oppose this proposed project.

I have therefore started an online petition with over 100 other NGOs from all over Europe. It is addressed to the European Parliament in the hope to stop this madness in time. If you feel the same way, you can sign the petition here.