After being pronounced on artificial intelligence, the European institutions are preparing to make a thorny decision regarding privacy and security online. A proposal that has been in place since 2022 and is currently under consideration provides for a system of massive scanning of digital messages, including encrypted ones, with the declared aim of identifying material of sexual exploitation of minors. An initiative that raises fears and perplexities among many.
Goodbye privacy: Europe plans to scan messages en masse
The rule outlines a mechanism of “moderation of uploads” which would allow the scanning of messages as well as all digital communications, from images to videos and links. Messaging service providers should get user authorizationi to scan their contents, otherwise you will not be able to share images or links.
A paradoxical situation, for some perhaps a dystopian scenario, which would call into question the privacy with communication. It's certainly a coincidence, but WhatsApp will soon introduce a feature specifically for this increase the degree of protection towards users.
The proposal appears contradictory regarding end-to-end encryption, initially recognized as a bulwark of individual rights, but then indicated as a potential "free zone" for the dissemination of illicit content. The suggested solution is: allow messages to be scanned before encryption, for example on apps like Signal, WhatsApp and Messenger.
A hypothesis that Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, defined as unacceptable, threatening disruption of service in Europe if the law is passed. A measure that would undermine the foundations of cryptographic security, creating flaws that could potentially be exploited by attackers.
It is no surprise that organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Center for Democracy & Technology and Mozilla have signed a joint document to oppose to this security drift. Many European parliamentarians have also expressed concern, including Patrick Breyer, German MEP, who highlighted how the proposal violates a fundamental right: private correspondence.
A survey by European Digital Rights showed that well 66% of young Europeans are against it to policies that allow providers to scan messages and generally scrutinize private communications. A fact that should make political decision-makers reflect, often too distant from the feelings of the new generations, digital natives for whom the Online privacy is an essential right.
