Take action to stop chat control now!
Chat control is back on the agenda of EU governments. EU governments are to express their position on the latest proposal on 23 September. EU Ministers of the Interior are to adopt the proposal on 10/11 October. Latest update of 12 September…
In June we managed to stop the unprecedented plan by an extremely narrow “blocking minority” of EU governments: Chat control proponents achieved 63.7% of the 65% of votes threshold required in the Council of the EU for a qualified majority.
Several formerly opposed governments such as France have already given up their opposition. Several still critical governments are only asking for small modifications (e.g. searching for “known content” only or excluding end-to-end encryption) which would still result in mass searches and leaks of our private communications. Therefore there is a real threat that the required majority for mass scanning of private communications may be achieved at any time under the current Hungarian presidency (Hungary being a supporter of the proposal).
That is why we now need to get involved and raise our voices to our governments and raise awareness in the wider population.
→ Previously supportive governments must be convinced to change their minds
→ Critical governments need to be pushed to demand comprehensive changes, as proposed by the European Parliament, and not just minor changes to the proposal.
In the absence of such fundamental revision, the proposal should be rejected altogether.
This map (feel free to share online!) visualises EU governments positions on chat control on 4 September according to a leak, also summarised in the table below. It helps you understand where your government stands and can help you start your journey as a digital rights advocate against chat control in your country. You will find some helpful resources below.
Is your government in favour?
→ Ask for an explanation and for your government to revert its course.
Is your government abstaining?
→ Ask why and demand that they take a strong stance against chat control.
Is your government opposing?
→ Great, but take a closer look at the reasoning: Some governments like Germany e.g. only object to the scanning of encrypted communications, but are fine with the indiscriminate scanning of other private and public communication, with the end of anonymous communication by requiring age verification, or with introducing a minimum age for “risky” communication apps. Also critical governments need to do more, exert their influence in the Council of the EU and agree on a joint list of necessary fundamental changes to the proposal. Absent such revision they should ask the European Commission to withdraw the chat control proposal as it stands.
Where your government stands on chat control
| In favour | Not in favour | Undecided / unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | Austria | Belgium |
| Croatia | Estonia | Czech Republic |
| Cyprus | Germany | Finland |
| Denmark | Luxembourg | Italy |
| Greece | Poland | Netherlands |
| Hungary | Slovenia | Portugal |
| Ireland | Sweden | |
| Latvia | ||
| Lithuania | ||
| Malta | ||
| Romania | ||
| Slovakia | ||
| Spain |
The six countries that have expressed criticism do not account for a blocking minority yet.
Take action now
These are ideas for what you can do in the short-term or with some
preparation. Start with:
- Ask you government to call on the European Commission to withdraw the chat control proposal. Point them to a joint letter that was recently sent by children’s rights and digital rights groups from across Europe. Click here to find the letter and more information.
- Check your government’s position (see above) and, if they voted in favour or abstained, ask them to explain why. Tell them that as a citizen you want them to reject the proposal, that chat control is widely criticised by experts and that none of the proposals tabled in the Council of the EU so far are acceptable. Ask them to protect the privacy of your communication and your IT security.
- Share this call to action online.
When reaching out to your government, the ministries of the interior (in the lead) of justice and of digitisation/telecommunications/economy are your best bet. You can additionally contact the permanent representation of your country with the EU.
It can also be useful to reach out to Members of your national Parliament who can determine your country’s vote. Talk to your political representatives. Whether it is the newly elected MEPs of the European Parliament or local groups of the political parties: make sure everyone is aware of what chat control is about and that you expect politicians to defend your fundamental rights against the proposal!
When contacting politicians, writing a real letter, calling in or attending a local party event or visiting a local office to have a conversation will have a stronger impact than writing an e-mail. You can find contact details on their websites. Just remember that while you should be determined in your position, remain polite, as they will otherwise disregard what you have to say. Here is useful argumentation on chat control. And here is argumentation for why the minor modifications so far envisioned by EU governments fail to address the dangers of chat control: by us, by EDRi, by CDT.
As we continue the fight against against chat control, we need to expand the resistance:
- Explain to your friends why this is an important topic. This short video, translated to all European languages, is a good start – feel free to use and share it. Also available on PeerTube (EN) and YouTube (DE).
- Taking action works better and is more motivating when you work together. So try to find allies and form alliances. Whether it is in a local hackspace or in a sports club: your local action group against chat control can start anywhere. Then you can get creative and decide which type of action suits you best.
Take action now. We are the resistance against chat control!
