TECH - Elon Musk-Backed Signal App And Proton Slam EU's 'Upload Moderation' Proposal For Encrypted Chats: 'Mass Surveillance' | Benzinga
The European Union is set to vote on a controversial proposal that could potentially undermine encryption by allowing the scanning of private communications for illegal content. This has been slammed by Elon Musk-backed Signal app, and encrypted email provider, Proton.
What Happened: The EU Council is scheduled to vote on the Chat Control proposal on Thursday. The proposal, which was initially set for a vote on Wednesday, has been met with criticism for its potential to compromise the privacy of online communications.
The proposal requires internet service providers to scan private chats, emails, social media messages, and photos for illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM.
To address the challenge of outlawing encryption, the proposal suggests “client-side scanning” or “upload moderation,” which involves analyzing content on users’ devices before it is encrypted and transmitted.
Signal’s CEO, Meredith Whittaker, has warned that this proposal would fundamentally undermine encryption and create a global vulnerability in core infrastructure. ...