Data protection under fire: Messenger services react to EU chat control

Last week, Signal's name said it all: if the European Union introduces its plans for chat control, the messenger service will withdraw from the EU. This signal to the decision-makers at—the EU Commission itself is known to be one of the users—was unmistakable. Now the messenger services WhatsApp and Threema are providing further impetus with their statements. However, both are much more cautious on the question of how they would deal with the issue if the monitoring obligation were to actually materialize.

A Meta spokesperson told netzpolitik.org that despite claims to the contrary, the new proposal from the Danish EU presidency continues to undermine end-to-end encryption. It thus jeopardizes everyone's privacy, freedom, and digital security.

Threema examines all options

In blog posts on its website, the Swiss messenger service provider Threema leaves no doubt that it considers the planned chat control to be incompatible with its convictions on data security. Should the chat control go ahead, all options will be thoroughly examined, according to a recent statement. However, the Swiss are still confident that the current plans are incompatible with the EU's fundamental rights and will therefore not stand up in court.

The EU's planned chat control is about finding depictions of child abuse and combating abuse more effectively. Operators of messengers and cloud services are to be obliged to check chat messages and uploaded files on users' devices. This so-called client-side scanning is seen by critics as undermining end-to-end encryption. These deliberate security loopholes could easily be misused for other purposes.

The Danish Council Presidency has reignited the issue. Germany had previously spoken out against chat control. At least 55 percent of the member states (15 out of 27) would have to agree for it to be introduced. These would also have to represent 65 percent of the EU population.

CCC: “An unmitigated disaster”

The Chaos Computer Club calls the plans for chat control an “unmitigated disaster for all confidential communication.” In a blog post, the activists criticize the fact that the German government is silent on whether it will oppose the “dangerous plans.” The idea of scanning texts, images, and films in chats is “wrong, dangerous, and also prone to errors.” The current proposal from the Danish Council Presidency includes all problematic measures that have not yet been approved in the EU, writes the CCC.

“If such a law on chat control is introduced, we will not only pay with the loss of our privacy. We are also opening the door to attacks on secure communication infrastructure,” says Elina Eickstädt, spokesperson for the Chaos Computer Club. Other NGOs are also appealing to the German government to stick to its no to chat control.

(mki)