These days, almost everyone uses email or instant messaging applications such as Messenger. But have you ever wondered whether you would enjoy using these applications as much if you knew that every message or photo you send is being monitored?
This is exactly what the European Commission’s Chat Control 2.0 law is all about – in practice, the end of privacy when sending messages via email, SMS or uploading content to cloud storage services. Applications that offer encrypted messaging, such as WhatsApp or Signal, would also be controlled. Signal has already announced that it will leave Europe if this happens. The European Union’s proposal violates human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and also the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. As always, lofty aims such as protecting young people, combating child pornography etc. are intended to disguise the real aim – total control.
At this stage, it looks as if a number of countries, including Germany, Austria, Poland and Estonia, are clearly opposed to the controversial bill. The problem, however, is that the bill has not been rejected, only its vote postponed. It is very likely that the bill (at least in a somewhat abridged version) will eventually be adopted. If this is the case, it will be possible to develop this law “quietly” over the coming years, and such changes will slowly and quietly begin to invade our privacy.
The European Union, which should offer its citizens a better standard of living, freedom and democracy, is slowly turning into a police state that wants full access to our private conversations and photos. As if surveillance by officials should make children safe!
This raises a question: should the Union be addressing these issues at all? Did the people who once voted in favour of joining the EU, for example in Central and Eastern Europe, approve the abolition of privacy?
