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EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

patrick-breyer.de

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Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#41
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn’t really. Much like the UK, the EU appears to have blinked when faced with the loss of both WhatsApp and iMessage.

Not really. This was expected. The commision tends to align with big business friendly proposals. The parliament tends to align with inhabitants, but has less power. Proposals go back and forth. What makes this story special is how blatantly bribable the commission must be to make them spit out this proposal.

https://netzpolitik.org/2023/chatkontrolle-lobbyismus-in-37-...

Here's an article in German about the sketchy dealings of the commissioner in question. Apparently, Ashton Kutcher (who's the main lobbying force behind this - how did that happen???), got a meeting with her confirmed 37 minutes after requesting it, while emails from privacy advocates continue being ignored.

Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not really. This was expected. The commision tends to align with big business friendly proposals. The parliament tends to align with inhabitants, but has less power. Proposals go back and forth. What makes this story special is how blatantly bribable the commission must be to make them spit out this proposal.

https://netzpolitik.org/2023/chatkontrolle-lobbyismus-in-37-... Here's an article in German about the sketchy dealings of the commissioner in question. Apparently, Ashton Kutcher (who's the main lobbying force behind this - how did that happen???), got a meeting with her confirmed 37 minutes after requesting it, while emails from privacy advocates continue being ignored.

Is Ashton Kutcher the actual "main lobbying force" or the hired face of the main lobbying force?

It's relatively common for lobby groups to hire known public faces to front for their interests .. a celebrity face can open a door to a meeting that might not otherwise happen.

It works both ways, celebrities will often hit a point in their careers where they start to look for a good noble cause to front for in order to keep their name and face in the public eye and aligned with .

Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#44
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://netzpolitik.org/2023/chatkontrolle-lobbyismus-in-37-... Here's an article in German about the sketchy dealings of the commissioner in question. Apparently, Ashton Kutcher (who's the main lobbying force behind this - how did that happen???), got a meeting with her confirmed 37 minutes after requesting it, while emails from privacy advocates continue being ignored.

Is Ashton Kutcher the actual "main lobbying force" or the hired face of the main lobbying force? It's relatively common for lobby groups to hire known public faces to front for their interests .. a celebrity face can open a door to a meeting that might not otherwise happen. It works both ways, celebrities will often hit a point in their careers where they start to look for a good noble cause to front for in order to…

I think his star power is a big part of what makes the lobbying effective in the first place, so I'm not sure if that distinction even makes sense.

Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#45
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Ashton Kutcher the actual "main lobbying force" or the hired face of the main lobbying force? It's relatively common for lobby groups to hire known public faces to front for their interests .. a celebrity face can open a door to a meeting that might not otherwise happen. It works both ways, celebrities will often hit a point in their careers where they start to look for a good noble cause to front for in order to…

I think his star power is a big part of what makes the lobbying effective in the first place, so I'm not sure if that distinction even makes sense.

Sure, that is how these things evolve.

For the historians that like to trace the roots of things the test would be whether this is a lobby and cause that was bought into being by its star face, or did it kick around for a few years before being bought to the attention of a star by their PR people and agents.

Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're probably right, but sometimes I wonder if a bit of distance can be a good thing. Perhaps a slight distance can make populism less viable while still being effective at representing the low-pass filtered will of the people in a sense. And perhaps the lower public mindshare might help insulate against people with ambitions but not people's best interest at heart. Or this is crazy talk, not sure which one…

That isn't a good development at all. Problem is that this distance isn't realized for large interest groups. This bill is an example. It is still on the menu despite numerous lobbying attempts have been made public. The EU shifted power from voters to larger groups with particular interests. Those groups have the resources to address people in Brussels, while voters have more or less no voice or impact. This is a st…

Ah yes, absolutely agree. You were referring to the EU as a whole, and I was specifically thinking about the parliament.

Re: EU parliament agreement to remove chat control and safeguard secure encryption

#47
I am so extremely happy to see this. Even if the law text all.in all is a disaster, full of holes and inconsistencies the main goal after total rejection was to get rid of the chat control part. Forcing targeted scanning only. I was I Brussels a couple of weeks ago as a volunteer with eDRI and meeting with MEPs and making noise about the issue. As a Swede I feel extra bad about this law and how it has come about since the person driving this is the Swedish commissioner Ylva Johansson. But please keep protesting and explain to.people why the right to private conversations is important. This is a right that I.count on is going to be attacked many many more.times.
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