Citizen Protest Halts Chat Control; Breyer Celebrates Major Victory for Digital Privacy
In a major breakthrough for the digital rights movement, the German government has refused to back the EU’s controversial Chat Control regulation yesterday after facing massive public pressure. The government did not take a position on the proposal. This blocks the required majority in the EU Council, derailing the plan to pass the surveillance law next week. Jens Spahn, Chairman of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, said in a public statement: “We, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, are opposed to the unwarranted monitoring of chats. That would be like opening all letters as a precautionary measure to see if there is anything illegal in them. That is not acceptable, and we will not allow it.”
Digital freedom fighter and former Member of the European Parliament Dr. Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) hails this as a huge victory but warns that the fight is far from over:
“This is a tremendous victory for freedom and proves that protest works! Facing a wave of calls and emails from the public, the Social Democrats are holding their ground, and for the first time, even the conservative leadership is voicing criticism. Without the tireless resistance from citizens, scientists, and organizations, EU governments would have passed a totalitarian mass surveillance law next week, spelling the end for digital privacy. That we stopped this—for now—is a moment to celebrate.”
“EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen must now admit the failure of her dystopian Chat Control plan. The Commission must withdraw this irreparable bill for good, as it has failed to find a majority in the Council for years. Instead, it should embrace the European Parliament’s alternative, which delivers effective child protection without mass surveillance: safer apps through ‘Security by Design,’ proactive clearing of illegal content online, and swift takedown obligations.”
Breyer concluded with an appeal:
“Today proves that our protest has the power to stop a totalitarian surveillance system that has no equal in the free world. But the threat is not gone. The proponents of Chat Control will use every trick in the book and will not give up easily. We will keep fighting until this proposal is defeated once and for all, and the privacy of our digital lives is secure for everyone.”
“Freedom is only as valuable as our willingness to fight for it. Now is the moment to support the civil rights organizations that made this victory possible, so we are prepared for the fight ahead.”
Timeline:
- 8 October: COREPER II discussion of the proposed regulation
- 9 October: Bundestag debate
- 14 October: scheduled adoption by EU interior ministers
For more information, visit Patrick Breyer’s information portal on Chat Control:
https://www.chatcontrol.eu
Update 22:51h: The vote originally scheduled for 14 October will not take place because there is no majority for the proposal. It is likely that the EU Commission will now propose to extend the Chat Control 1.0 regulation currently in force that permits providers to scan our messages (if they choose). An extension of this indiscriminate bulk scanning regime is not acceptable. Scanning under this regulation needs to be targeted and limited to suspects where requested by a judicial authority.