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by studentrob 1775 days ago
Bad news for the EU maybe, if that were to pass. That sort of thing never passed muster in the US. There is always a huge backlash because it infringes on the speech rights of both companies and individuals. You'd essentially be forcing banks to build in backdoors that criminals could use, and also making it so that only criminals can use true E2E encryption.

There is no sense making laws you can't enforce. It erodes trust and credibility.
1 comments
thw0rted 1775 days ago
If you think EU policy only impacts the EU, you didn't pay attention to what happened with GDPR. Some companies might scan only EU-to-EU communications, some might scan communications where only one end is in the EU, and some might just scan everything because why build two completely separate systems rather than just doing whatever is compliant everywhere you operate?
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studentrob 1775 days ago
Maybe, what's your point? You want this legislation to pass? You seem intent on delivering news of a future dystopia.

I don't think any of these scanned systems or policies will survive in the long run. They're inherently insecure and won't lead to growth.

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thw0rted 1774 days ago
Your post I originally replied to said

> They've tried to do this for decades and have failed.... Let's see how voters like it.

My "point" is that I thought the same way you did -- look what a mess Clipper Chip was, they always want backdoors but surely a voice of reason will show up, etc -- but something has changed. Couple the vote in the EU with the way the major tech companies reacted to GDPR (you'd be surprised how many sites simply block all of Europe rather than comply) and it's a wakeup call. There is a real chance of the bad guys winning here.

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studentrob 1774 days ago
My opinion here is that such policies are unenforceable and will therefore blow up in the faces of whoever implements them. Whoever does not will have the people's backing and will pave the way to the future. Of course, none of us can see the future, so we'll just have to wait and see. If I lived in the EU I would make my voice heard about that legislation.
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thw0rted 1774 days ago
Maybe I'm just too jaded but I don't think "making voices heard" matters -- in the link I posted upthread, the overwhelming majority of voters did not want the Chat Control measure to pass, but it did anyway, "for the children". (I can't even do that -- I'm an American living over here, I have no say in politics but am subject to a lot of their rules.)

Maybe we'll get lucky and the next vote will fail, or maybe if it passes there will be providers that refuse to comply. I think if it happens, it's far more likely that most will cave, and a few will just pull the plug and stop offering service.

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studentrob 1774 days ago
> I don't think "making voices heard" matters

Of course it matters. Politicians must listen to voters on topics of import or they're out. If you're arguing against democracy and for some imagined alternative, then I can't help you because that's a worse outcome.

It's true some policies do pass that a lot of people don't want. It's up to the voters to make an issue of that in the next election cycle. As an American living in the EU you can certainly use your voice. That may be as consequential as your vote if you are convincing. Since I do not live there I don't engage in those politics, despite the connectedness of the world. There's enough to deal with on our home turf.

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