"Surveillance does not protect children - Chatcontrol must be prevented" - Svenja Hahn, FDP

March 7, 2023

In the debate about the use of chatcontrol, MEP Svenja Hahn (FDP) comments as follows: "The protection of children in the digital space must be pursued seriously and with effective measures. Children must be effectively protected, but mandatory identity checks and general chat controls are unsuitable for this purpose. Because this form of monitoring endangers children more than it protects them. When even child protection organizations and the European Data Protection Board warn against the EU Commission's regulatory proposal, it is high time to pull the emergency brake."

Therefore, Svenja Hahn has submitted amendments to the regulation in the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament. The proposal: any obligations to identify users and to generally control communications, including through means such as chatcontrol, must be removed. Furthermore, the MEP adds an article to the law that establishes the right to end-to-end encryption and the prohibition of general monitoring obligations. Hahn comments:

"Blanket surveillance and the undermining of end-to-end encryption are completely unacceptable violations of fundamental rights. The principle must remain that the same fundamental rights apply online as offline. The right to privacy must be protected by end-to-end encryption in private online communications and protection of private content from blanket surveillance. This is a question of civil rights, but also of cyber security. The use of AI systems that violate the right to privacy in online communication services must be banned. I am also advocating for this in the negotiations on the European AI Act."

Looking at the regulation, Hahn summarizes:

"The Commission proposal is poorly crafted and misses the initial goal of protecting children. The Commission must withdraw this proposal that violates fundamental rights."

 

You can find an overview of the proposed amendments linked below: