Chatcontrol 2025 edition in Brief

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In short, led by Denmark, many EU member states are arguing for forcing WhatsApp/Signal/etc to inspect all our photos and links, using AI. If the AI is in any “doubt” if this might be child pornography, your photo, location, phone number & other details get reported to a new “EU Centre” and thence to Europol and a local police force.

What happens next is not specified, but your holiday in Cyprus might end up with you having to explain your photos over at the local police station. In Greek.

Und hier auf Deutsch 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇧🇪. Et ici en français 🇫🇷 🇧🇪🇱🇺. Y aquí en castellano 🇪🇸, i en català, og her på dansk 🇩🇰, E qui in italiano 🇮🇹. Și aici în română 🇷🇴. In het Nederlands🇧🇪🇳🇱, v češtině 🇨🇿 , и на български 🇧🇬, i po polsku 🇵🇱, kaj en Esperanto. If you translate this page to further languages (which would be very useful), please do let me know (bert@hubertnet.nl) so I can link to your work, or host it on my site. Here is the original Markdown. Thanks!

There are many ways this could go wrong. Specifically, this AI will have to be built by WhatsApp/Meta/Facebook so they can monitor us on behalf of the EU (!!). The language of the draft is that everything needs to be reported unless the report is “manifestly unfounded”, which is a very low bar. It would be a bad time to be a young looking person in any case, or to have children in general. Note that everyone’s photos will be scanned, there is no need for any suspicion.

Even if the authorities rule that your photo is “legal”, the newly formed “EU Centre” will be keep a copy in the database anyhow, because who knows, it might be useful later.

One day soon, if this regulation is passed, WhatsApp will ask you for permission to have all your photos and links analyzed by their AI. If you do not give that permission, you will lose the ability to share images and links. Signal has also said they’ll leave the EU if the alternative is to implement this surveillance law.

Earlier versions of the proposal did not include AI, this has only returned recently. Also, note that once reported, your previously private photo will have been seen by Facebook/Meta, the EU Centre, Europol and a local police force. At least for people.

Meanwhile, police forces and actual experts in prevention of child exploitation note that they are already overwhelmed by the work. Politicians often say they’ll do everything for the children. But somehow this rarely ends up with giving the actual vice police more resources, better training and improving international cooperation.

Instead, what we get is a giant surveillance hub, powered by Americans (!). And history has shown that once a surveillance capability exists, it will soon be used for other purposes. Apparently, governments are aware of this, because they have exempted their police, military and national security people from this new law!

It appears the German government is about to support this proposal, in which case it might well become law. Other governments that also should know better appear to be in support:


From chatcontrol.eu

I urge everyone, especially Germans, to contact their politicians and scream loudly.

Here are useful links to learn more: