00:00Is the EU about to start scanning your text messages?
00:05For years, claims have been circulating that the European Union wants to enable governments
00:10and private companies to read people's text messages as part of a planned law clamped
00:15down on online child sexual abuse. Recently, these claims have intensified with users alleging
00:20the blog will scan all encrypted messages even as they're being typed, making users fear
00:26for their privacy. It's often referred to as chat control. But the idea that Europeans have to
00:31brace themselves for the immediate end of private messaging is misleading. The possibility of scanning
00:37private messages is part of this planned new law on child sexual abuse and it is indeed being
00:42considered. But the Commission is proposing specific and limited detection orders. While there are
00:47legitimate concerns that this could spell the end of digital privacy as we know it, proponents insist
00:53that detection orders do not apply by default to everyone and would be limited in time and scope.
00:59They would also have to be requested by a national authority and then approved by a court or an
01:03independent authority. Secondly, the Commission's proposal is only the starting point. For the law to
01:09pass, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU both need to agree on exactly the same text,
01:14which has not happened yet. In fact, the Parliament has already voted for changes that go against broad
01:19scanning, especially for encrypted apps. And the Council is itself split. A majority of countries,
01:25like France, Spain and Italy, are in favour of strong scanning rules, while Austria, the Netherlands
01:30and Poland have said they will not accept them. Others, including Germany and Belgium, remain undecided.
01:36Because of this division, several planned votes have been delayed. A new one is now scheduled
01:40on the 12th of September. So, there is a legitimate debate about whether this proposed law can
01:46tread the line between safeguarding children on one hand and ensuring online privacy on the other.
01:51But panic that the EU is about to immediately scan messages even before they're being sent is still
01:57premature.
