[attah_]

On the one hand this makes me very happy that democracy can actually work things out (and quite well at that)... but on the other hand i'm still horrified people seriously tried to push the original proposal. Not sure what i feel summing up the two.

[SahAssar]

My takeaway is that the EU as a whole is somewhat responsive to public feedback but it is still too far removed from the people and our will.

[dotandgtfo]

I feel like it's pretty obvious the bill wouldn't pass. It's just so off-base from all other EU tech policy. Banning end to end encryption is both ineffective and practically impossible. And sending "CSAM" (in a lot of cases teenagers/young adult nudes) to a presumably American tech company for manual screening is just so unequivocally wrong on a privacy level.

It seems like a lot of money went into making this get to the vote. My impression is that lobbyists have worked for this through the European commission - which is distasteful as it should never have been proposed. But it never stood a chance in the parliament. There seems to be checks and balances.

I have to credit the great work of people like Patrick Breyer and everyone who has demonstrated and organized across the EU these last months. Passivity leads to the worst outcomes.

[richarme]

I think you're probably right, but sometimes I wonder if a bit of distance can be a good thing. Perhaps a slight distance can make populism less viable while still being effective at representing the low-pass filtered will of the people in a sense.

And perhaps the lower public mindshare might help insulate against people with ambitions but not people's best interest at heart. Or this is crazy talk, not sure which one it is :)

[raxxorraxor]

That isn't a good development at all. Problem is that this distance isn't realized for large interest groups. This bill is an example. It is still on the menu despite numerous lobbying attempts have been made public.

The EU shifted power from voters to larger groups with particular interests. Those groups have the resources to address people in Brussels, while voters have more or less no voice or impact.

This is a structural problem.

[richarme]

Ah yes, absolutely agree. You were referring to the EU as a whole, and I was specifically thinking about the parliament.

[attah_]

Too far removed or just too technologically inept? Not only was it technologically impossible; but they keep wanting to do things to people's online life that everyone that would never fly in offline life. It's like they think technology is somehow an optional extra, or even a passing fad that doesn't deserve the same rights and safeguards.

[kdwikzncba]

Unlike our direct representatives, who are very responsive /s

[raxxorraxor]

I am still not sure that this is not a very foul compromise. It remains to be seen. For example age verification for certain site with adult content.

This is a typical strategy and people fall for it every time because they have not reflected on their own position.

This isn't a win for democracy at all, it is still pushed top down by the EU. They still push for unique internet IDs, even if they say they protect anonymous access for now.