Data retention and undermining encryption: expert group to present proposals for expanding surveillance by mid-2024

At the request of MEP Dr Patrick Breyer , Europol has published documents showing that a newly established group of experts is to draw up proposals on the topics of data retention, encryption and anonymity by mid-2024. Among other things, the focus is on access to encrypted communication data, to location data and to IP data of citizens.

The expert group goes back to a proposal of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January 2023 (PDF). The tasks and objectives of the expert group are discussed under the programme name ‘Going Dark’.

MEP Dr Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party / Greens/EFA) comments:

“The ‘Going Dark’ programme is a forge for further unnecessary attempts to increase surveillance pressure against the population. EU governments have continuously failed to comply with the rulings of the EU Court of Justice on data retention. Now a group of experts is to devise proposals i.e. for undermining encryption. We are to be presented pre-agreed results and new draft legislation as a result of an entirely intransparent and unbalanced process.”