- European Commissioner supports Parliament’s position on targeted analysis of CSAM content
- Brunner dismissed the risks of surveillance, refusing the term “Chat Control”
- Trilogue negotiations begin on Tuesday, December 9
After finally gaining approval from the EU Council, the controversial Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) is now ready for trilogues – the final round of EU legislative negotiations. However, even if this step is taken, a lively debate in Brussels yesterday suggests that a controversial path remains to be taken.
During a debate in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on Thursday 4 December, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, delivered an assessment that probably surprised many participants.
Brunner acknowledged that – although he remains committed to the Commission’s initial 2022 proposal – he prefers Parliament’s position on targeted measures to the Council’s push for voluntary, blind analysis.
“I would prefer Parliament’s position to that of the Council, because the Council’s position is a compromise on a compromise on a compromise. But I still think that the Commission’s proposal is the best,” Brunner said.
Despite this, Brunner flatly rejected the term “Chat Control” – the nickname critics have given the bill since its inception. He also dismissed privacy concerns raised by Markéta Gregorová of the Czech Pirate Party, who likened the proposed voluntary scanning to “forcing every citizen to hand over every letter to the police to be opened and read before it is allowed to be sent.”
“It’s not about Chat Control, it’s about protecting our children, it’s about fighting pedophiles,” Brunner argued.
All eyes now turn to the trilogue negotiations between the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, which are due to start on Tuesday 9 December, with the aim of reaching a final and binding text.
Javier Zarzalejos, chairman of the LIBE committee and rapporteur, heads the Parliament. He stressed that lawmakers were entering negotiations with a “strong mandate” for targeted measures.
“Parliament is well equipped”
Although the bill finally achieved the required majority in the EU Council, the latest version of Chat Control is far from having achieved full support.
Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands still oppose the proposal. They are joined by many experts, who believe that it may be a “disaster waiting to happen”.
Even though the Danish Presidency has decided to remove mandatory scanning obligations for all email providers, many believe that the proposed voluntary solution could still lead to privacy and security violations.
“Let’s be real. Intentional or not, mass scanning is still mass scanning of private communications. And it doesn’t help minors,” Gregorová said, echoing similar concerns from the tech world.
While experts warn that the Council’s proposal threatens citizens’ privacy, Brunner’s stance, in favor of more targeted surveillance, offers a glimmer of hope for digital rights activists.
“It is Javier Zarzalejos who is responsible for uniting Parliament on this crucial issue,” commented Patrick Breyer, former German Pirate Party MEP and digital rights lawyer.
“With this strong mandate in favor of fundamental rights and against indiscriminate surveillance, Parliament is well equipped to repel governments’ attacks on digital secrecy and the right to anonymous communication.”
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