EU Parliament greenlights Chat Control 1.0 – Breyer: "Our children lose out"
www.patrick-breyer.de
Today, the European Parliament allowed the suspicionless mass scanning of private communications ("Chat Control 1.0") to pass, a measure it had rejected twice in March. Although a majority of voting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) actually opposed the regulation (314 against, 276 in favor,
  • stumu415@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
    861·
    14 days ago

    Note that the law passed automatically because at least 361 MEPs did not vote against it, regardless of how many voted for it.

    Yes this is a real thing in the EU, you can just pass laws on a minority if they really want them.

    Straight out of the US/fascist playbook.

    • CaptainPedantic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      201·
      14 days ago

      The US voting system is fucked up and we’ve got a dictator, but even we don’t make a bill into a law when the nays outnumber the yays. Quorum rules exist for a reason.

    • JohnEdwa@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      1·
      14 days ago

      Technically. The vote was worded in a way that it was about removing the old law - stopping it from being renewed automatically - which requires a 2/3rds majority to happen.

  • FergleFFergleson@infosec.pubEnglish
    26·
    14 days ago

    This is just gutting to hear about. I’m so incredibly disappointed. I genuinely, and naively as it turns out, thought the EU “leadership” was better than this. :(

      • Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        2·
        13 days ago

        I checked my own country’s MEP voting record and this shit was entirely done by the mainstream parties - even the far-right (to my surprise) tried to stop it.

        If you think about it, it makes sense that those entrenched in power are the ones more interested in mass surveilance and other forms or early detection of dissent, and in most of Europe the far-right are not in power, they’re the challengers and it’s the mainstream parties (generally two of them, thanks to anti-Democratic non-PV voting systems) which alternate in power.

    • lividweasel@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      14 days ago

      Yeah, this article seems to have the numbers flipped.

      For: 314(52 %). Against: 276(45 %). Abstentions: 17(3 %). In total, 607 MEPs voted. 112 MEPs didn’t vote.

  • emigu@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    14 days ago

    Oh for fucks sake!

    So, what are some good encrypted alternatives to common messaging apps? Signal instead of WhatsApp/Messenger etc? Proton mail/drive/etc instead of Google? Any other suggestions? Would a mobile vpn help?

    • Squizzy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      14 days ago

      Just go offline, I am so sick of everything being an opportunity for privacy invasions and money extraction.

      • emigu@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        14 days ago

        There’s a number of both work and private reasons why that won’t be feasible. Also, I feel that we should not surrender the whole of Internet because of this bullshit.

    • katkit@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      14 days ago

      Perhaps Briar? I keep wanting to try it, but don’t have contacts that also do. It runs offline through Bluetooth and WiFi direct as well as online through TOR.