- The EU Commissioner supports Parliament’s position on material analysis of CSAM
- Brunner dismissed the risks of surveillance and rejected the term “cat control”.
- The tripartite negotiations start on Tuesday, December 9
After finally getting approval from the EU Council, the controversial Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) is now ready for the trilogues, the final round of legislative negotiations in the EU. Although this step has already been taken, yesterday’s lively debate in Brussels suggests that a contentious road lies ahead.
On Thursday, December 4, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner drew up a budget during a debate in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), which probably surprised many participants.
Brunner admitted it, but is still faithful to the original. Commission proposal for 2022 – The European Parliament supports Parliament’s position on specific measures in response to the Council’s request for voluntary and random analyses.
“I would prefer the Parliament’s position to the Council’s, because the Council’s position is a compromise about a compromise about a compromise. But I still think the Commission’s proposal is the best,” Brunner said.
However, Brunner has completely rejected the term “cat control,” the nickname critics have given the law since it was introduced. He also dismissed privacy concerns raised by Markéta Gregorová of the Czech Pirate Party, who compared the voluntary scanning proposal to “forcing every citizen to hand over every letter to the police to open and read before they can send it.”
“It’s not about controlling the cat, it’s about protecting our children, it’s about fighting pedophiles,” Brunner said.
All eyes are now on the tripartite negotiations between the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, which begin on Tuesday 9 December, with the aim of establishing a final and binding text.
Javier Zarzalejos, chairman of the LIBE Committee and rapporteur, will be the Speaker of the Parliament. He stressed that lawmakers will enter the negotiations with a “strong mandate.” special measures.
“Parliament is well prepared”
Although the bill eventually received the necessary majority in the EU Council, the latest version of the follow-up discussions did not receive full support.
Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Netherlands continue to reject the proposal. Many experts support them, saying it could be an “anticipated disaster”.
Although the Danish Presidency has decided to abolish mandatory analysis requirements for all email providers, many believe that the proposed voluntary solution could still lead to privacy and security breaches.
“Let’s face it. Whether it’s intentional or not, mass scanning is still mass scanning of private communications. And it doesn’t help minors,” Gregorová said, echoing similar concerns from the tech world.
While experts warn that the council’s proposal threatens citizens’ privacy, Brunner’s stance in favor of more targeted surveillance offers a glimmer of hope for digital rights activists.
“Javier Zarzalejo deserves credit for uniting Parliament on this crucial issue,” said Patrick Breyer, former member of the German Pirate Party and digital rights lawyer.
“With this strong mandate in favor of fundamental rights and against arbitrary surveillance, Parliament is well equipped to fend off government attacks on digital privacy and the right to anonymous communications.”
