European Parliament approves mass surveillance of private communication (patrick-breyer.de)

Article summary

The European Parliament has approved the ePrivacy Derogation, allowing email and messaging service providers to automatically scan personal messages for suspect content and report suspected cases to the police. This move has been met with strong opposition from the European Pirates Delegation and other groups, who argue that it effectively ends privacy in digital correspondence. The regulation is expected to become mandatory for all communications service providers in the future. A follow-up regulation is planned for autumn, which may force secure end-to-end encrypted messenger services to install a backdoor.

Main themes

• mass surveillance
• privacy
• encryption
• regulation
• EU policy
• digital rights
• freedom of communication
• surveillance state

What commenters say

• The new regulation is a step towards a surveillance state and undermines privacy and freedom of communication.
• Technological solutions, such as encryption, are necessary to protect privacy in the digital age.
• The regulation may drive people to use alternative, more secure communication methods, such as end-to-end encrypted messaging apps.
• The move is seen as a violation of GDPR and other EU privacy laws, and may be subject to legal challenges.
• Some argue that the regulation is a necessary measure to protect children and prevent crime, while others see it as an overreach of government power.
• The use of automation to scan personal messages raises concerns about false positives and the potential for abuse.
• The regulation may have unintended consequences, such as driving criminal activity underground and making it harder to detect.
• Some commenters believe that the only way to reverse the trend towards a surveillance state is through significant societal upheaval, such as a war or major economic crisis.