The EU Commission refuses to disclose the orchestrators behind its mass surveillance proposal, which would effectively end citizens’ online privacy.

https://i.redd.it/saxw1feg4o4f1.jpeg

by Dry_Row_7050

44 comments

  1. [When German MEP Patrick Breyer requested the names](https://fragdenstaat.de/anfrage/sub-groups-working-groups-of-the-high-level-expert-group-on-access-to-data-for-effective-law-enforcement/#nachricht-842415) of the individuals involved in the [High-Level Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/4802e306-c364-4154-835b-e986a9a49281_en?filename=Concluding%20Report%20of%20the%20HLG%20on%20access%20to%20data%20for%20effective%20law%20enforcement_en.pdf)
    —the group behind the EU’s latest mass surveillance proposal—the EU Commission responded with a document where all names were blacked out. According to digital rights group EDRi:

    [“The HLG has kept its work sessions closed, strictly controlled which stakeholders got invited, and effectively shut down civil society participation.”](https://edri.org/our-work/high-level-group-going-dark-outcome-a-mission-failure/)

    Their plan includes restrictions on encryption, surveillance mandates, sanctioning messaging apps and more. By the way Chat Control isn’t dead and is also being pushed in such a secrecy [EU ombudsman has concluded it maladministration.](https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/07/18/european-ombudsman-slams-commission-for-secretive-approach-to-child-sexual-abuse-law). Chat Control would, in addition to also banning secure encryption, force people [to register on social media with their own identities](https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/). Good thing there isn’t an EU-wide digital identity incoming, right?

    Despite this secrecy and the dystopian proposal itself, the group’s recommendations are now being used as a primary source for the [EU Commission’s “ProtectEU” strategy for 2029](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0148). On top of those proposals the commission wants to make Europol the ”FBI or Europe”, while Europol’s boss says [Big Tech has ‘responsibility’ to unlock encrypted messages to protect democracy](https://www.ft.com/content/1e6a600d-8620-4ed6-a4cd-5c454d6247ba). The same Europol that [has been criticized by EU ombudsman for their ties with a chat control tech service provider Thorn](https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/chat-control-eu-ombudsman-criticises-revolving-door-between-europol-and-chat-control-tech-lobbyist-thorn/)

    Anyway since every paragraph halves the amount of people making it to the end, here’s what you can do

    [Contact your MEP](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/home)

    Give EU your feedback on their [new GDPR destroying data retention proposal](https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14680-Impact-assessment-on-retention-of-data-by-service-providers-for-criminal-proceedings-/feedback_en?p_id=57023308)

    And spread the news, on social media and in real life.

  2. I want to know, which portuguese MP´s are behind this, and what do they have to say about it 🙂

  5. It’s amazing how the EU is both building the privacy walls and demolishing them at the same time. I thought we were supposed to have common values. Apparently, the citizens understand, as we keep protesting this fucking proposal. Yet leadership keeps proposing it.

  6. It’s beyond satire. Blanked out list of people opposing other people’s privacy 😐

  7. The unknown oligarchy will protect the working mans interests! What could go wrong trusting a unknown cabal?

  8. Then we should make some educated guesses. Regarding Germany: There are parts of some parties (especially the CDU/CSU) that historically tended to push into this direction. Therefore I highly suspect leading CDU/CSU EU Politicians. Which parties/persons do you guys suspect?

  10. Privacy for me but not for thee. Quite obvious that they know they wouldnt be safe if their names were out there, because clearly, it would be a VERY unpopular proposal amongst the general plebs. And rightly so.

  11. Yes because Europe reallyyyyy needs a PATRIOT Act-esque law,right? Just look at how well it performed in the States the total control of everyone’s privacy

  13. Isnt it quite a problem regarding corruption when state level actors impede transparency purposefully?

  15. Well, turning europe into a 1984 dystopia seems like a dream to them.

    The problem is that europeans keep voting for them (same here in Portugal).

    Ventura, Le Pen, Kickl thrive in the hate bait, false arguments, and the moderate parties are incompetently adressing the subjects. Their leaders lack charisma, leadership and plausible solutions, making things worse for everyone instead of proving them wrong by acting competently.

  16. Where did this come from? I thought the EU was all about *protecting* privacy.

  17. I’d like to actually speak to my MEP but fuck me because apparently the people voting against privacy get themselves the privacy to not be held accountable.

  18. This is one of the few topic I’m good with it being repeted even every day. Everyone must know

  20. Why is no one pushing for an opposite bill? A bill that enshrines our “digital rights and freedoms” and makes pushing for this kind of nonsense (and they’ve been pushing this for a long, long while) much harder, if not impossible?

  21. People who want to end online privacy refuse to give up their privacy online. Rules for thee but not for me.

  22. It’s shit like this that drives the alt-right surge.

    The alt-right will also use these tools to destroy democracy, of course, but for now it’s a great platform for them to score easy victories

  24. Is there any protest organised in Bruxelles? How to organise one?
    I have been told MEPs don’t pay much attention to emails received by constituents.

  25. Wait, let me get this straight, *they* get privacy while trying to strip us of ours? **Fuck** that. We should be able to access this information one way or another.

  26. Considering those people very likely are members of the national intelligence service and or cybercrime units, the censorship is no surprise.

  27. Why do western leaders purposefully torpedo their own countries and values? Like I am, and have been for all my life, a giant supporter of the EU. But shit like this makes me question that. A supposedly democratic institution which is secretly working on implementing mass surveillance against the wishes of the people. That’s the best argument for leaving the EU there ever was.

    Genuinely. It that thing we’re to actually pass I’d absolutely propose and advocate for leaving the EU.

  28. We only want to protect citizens. Every fucking dictatorship starts the same.

  29. They realise now people have a voice. Critical thinking. Terrorism is their excuse. National security. Bollox. It’s about control. 😡

  30. They protect us from the big bad corporations only to get far broader powers for themselfs.

    I frankly don’t care much about the corporate side, because they can put me into camps if they see something not to their linking

  33. So they want to take our internet privacy away, while protecting theirs? 🙃 hypocrisy everywhere you look

  35. Why don’t I see all EU members speaking up against this and demanding to know who these people are and to stop what they’re doing? Every time Hungary pulls something they’re all over the news, but when the EU Commission is pushing for the same shit or worse, it’s all silence. As if nobody in power really cared and everybody was just virtue signaling as long as it didn’t conflict with their own interests.

  36. easy to point the finger at the US, but look at the shit going on here! Someone needs to leak that document pronto!

  37. the commission has always been a band of bastards, unelected too

  38. This should automatically make this a void proposal. You don’t get to propose major surveillance changes and remain hidden from public criticism.

  39. Why would this be considered sensitive data in the first place? If I want to change policies for the entire EU, I agree for my name to bepublic.

  40. Someone needs to leak that shit.

    redditors at EU offices, you know what to do.

  41. But but according to Reddit brexit bad, uk stupid, act of national harm etc.

    Didn’t you lot understand what you were voting for in the last EU elections?

  42. We need a transparent government, not transparent citizens

  43. Well. Those are things that made Nawrocki won. Those are also things that will make pis return to power. We as Poles(mostly i guess) are for being with EU, but ideas like this, fit for 55 or similar stuff that in general sound like decent idea, but are so half assed and hostile to EU citizens is beyond me.

    EU as a idea is awesome, but current people behind it literally kill all support for it.

  44. This is the best description of what the EU has became. Total hypocrisy.

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