Pro-Surveillance EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson Says Criticism of Private Message Ban is to “Create Confusion”

If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The European Union is in the midst of an escalating debate over the looming proposals to try and end technological privacy of citizens by curbing end-to-end encryption, all packaged under a regulation supposedly targeted towards reducing child sexual abuse. The surveillance, which would allow scanning of everyone’s private messages, raises questions not only about privacy and individual rights but also about the integrity of the decision-making process itself. At the heart of the controversy is EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson, who is now under intense scrutiny for the alleged involvement of lobbyists in the bill’s preparation. This week, startling revelations have emerged, implicating a network of organizations, many linked to the tech industry and security services, as being the primary orchestrators and financiers of the EU’s proposed child sexual abuse regulation. This international campaign’s efforts appear to culminate in the so-called “chat control” regulation. Under this proposed directive, service providers would be mandated to scan and potentially disclose all private electronic communications, a sweeping measure relying heavily on artificial intelligence and other technologies known for their susceptibility to errors. Yet, it’s the close ties between these lobbying entities and those drafting the legislation that’s causing alarm. Two Europol staff members, for instance, have reportedly transitioned to work for Thorn, a company ardently lobbying for this regulation. The convergence of economic interests and policy-making raises the specter of conflicts of interest, which is now drawing the…Pro-Surveillance EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson Says Criticism of Private Message Ban is to “Create Confusion”