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 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.
This is a very bad proposal, and not only because it is wrong to spy on 450 million people in Europe when police already have a huge backlog of cases they don’t have time for. Everything for the children, but try solving the problem at the right place first.
In addition, as legislation goes, this is a very sloppy proposal.
I wrote a very brief introduction to how “Chatcontrol” ends up asking American companies to spy on Europeans so that they can be reported to Europol automatically. With links to more detail. The post is available in:
With many thanks for the volunteer translators! If you have any contacts with your national politicians who are in favor of this proposal, I urge you to contact them.
Bert