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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.