On January 30, the EU Council voted to endorse a two-year extension of "Chat Control 1.0". This is a significant setback. If passed, it legalizes the mass scanning of private messages and photos by US tech giants using error-prone AI, without any suspicion of crime. It also paves the way for mandatory ID verification (ending anonymity) and effectively bans anyone under 17 from using messaging apps. potentially preventing them from even chatting with their own parents.
However, the fight is not over.
The Council's vote is not the final word. Under EU legislative procedures, the European Parliament must also agree to the extension. Right now, the power to stop this lies with the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).
They are deliberating this week to set the Parliament's position before the current regulation expires in April. If the LIBE Committee stands firm and rejects the extension, this mass surveillance regime can still be stopped.
We must act now to influence their decision.
Please do not stay silent. Contact the LIBE Committee members. Tell them to reject the extension of the Regulation and to defend our fundamental right to privacy.
We need targeted, judicial solutions, not a permanent state of mass surveillance.
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