Europeโs police want AI to fight crime. They say red tape stands in the way.
Europol deputy chief tells POLITICO that police want the agency to build out tech capabilities.
encryption
Danish Presidency backs away from โchat controlโ
The Danes will seek to propose a voluntary detection regime in the CSAM proposal, instead of controversial mandatory detection orders
โChat controlโ law goes back to negotiating table with no Council vote in sight
Controversial message-scanning proposal, which had been scheduled for a vote by ministers on 14 October, is back in limbo
Germanyโs Justice Minister slams controversial โchat controlโ law
Dr. Stefanie Hubig’s statement opposing the message-scanning proposal on Wednesday suggests the Danes’ compromise is unlikely to pass a vote in Council
One-man spam campaign ravages EU โchat controlโ bill
A software developer from Denmark is having an outsized influence on a hotly debated law to break open encrypted apps.
Deleting texts to save space, Ursula? โItโs not the 1990s.โ
Tech experts debunk the European Commission’s policy of deleting its president’s phone messages to “save space.”
Germany holds key to EUโs controversial โchat controlโ proposal
EU countries will debate a Danish compromise on the Commission’s child sexual abuse material (CSAM) proposal on Friday
Von der Leyen wants to ax languishing legislation. What will be on the list?
The Commission president wants to clean house with a review of legislative proposals that have become stuck in negotiations.
Russiaโs โspook in your pocketโ: The Kremlin rolls out a messaging app
Moscowโs answer to WhatsApp is another weapon in Putinโs campaign to control the internet.
Britain drops demand for access to Apple user data
The privacy row had become a flash point in relations between London and Washington.
US says UK human rights record worsening thanks to online safety regime
The U.S. State Department blamed the U.K.’s Online Safety Act for chilling free speech, but got bits of the Act wrong.
Vatican under fire for alleged money-laundering dodge
The claims come as Pope Leo is desperately trying to clean up the Catholic Church’s reputation after years of scandal.
Quantum tech is coming โ and with it a risk of cyber doomsday
The EU, and much of the rest of the world, wants critical infrastructure to move to post-quantum security by 2030.
A new tech race is on. Can Europe learn from the ones it lost?
EU faces familiar problems to win out on quantum computing.
Brussels moves to tackle satellite junk in space
New space law dials up oversight amid warnings itโs ‘starting to look like a jungle up there.’
British man charged in US over plot to smuggle military tech to China
John Miller discussed exporting a sensitive encryption device from the U.S. to China in a blender, U.S. authorities said.
French crypto entrepreneurs promised extra security after violent kidnapping attempts
There have been at least three attempts to abduct crypto sector leaders or their family members since the start of the year in France.
โFighting crime blindfoldedโ: Europe is coming after encryption
Police have long wanted to read encrypted messages. They now have the backing of the EU’s top brass.
Presidency looks at voluntary detection in latest child abuse images law compromise text
The text will be discussed by law enforcement attaches on Tuesday.
Even zero fine excessive to the US as โliberation dayโ dawns, and BEREC telecoms meet unwrapped
Plus, the GDPR omnibus and deadlock over the European Data Protection Supervisor.
Commission working on encryption backdoor strategy
No technology currently exists that enables access to encrypted data without undermining the privacy and security guaranteed by encryption.
GDPR, EDPS negotiations, and UK interview on CSAM and encryption
Meanwhile, the EU is weighing measures against US service exports, including Big Tech, in response to Donald Trumpโs 25% tariffs on the car industry and his pledge for further measures next week.
Companies could do more to combat child sexual abuse online, UK minister says
“We’re talking about tech companies that are flying into space and making driverless cars. I believe in them and their capacity to make it possible,” UK safeguarding minister said.
Signal event: Why US and European officials rely on the messaging app
No middleman, including service providers, and not even Signal itself, can access the message.
Leakers to Musk: Weโre โnot Elonโs servantsโ
The pervasive fear and anger that have been rippling through federal agencies over Elon Muskโs slashing approach to shrinking government deepened even further on Friday over the billionaire tech mogulโs threat to root out and punish anyone who is leaking to the media. Theyโve already taken every precaution they can for fear of retaliation: setting [โฆ]
Leakers to Musk: Weโre โnot Elonโs servantsโ
Even before Muskโs comments, federal workers felt vulnerable and increasingly incensed.
Countries disagree on temporary derogations and encryption in CSAM negotiations
A questionnaire put together by the Polish presidency, seen by Euractiv, will be discussed next Tuesday.
UKโs Starmer hits back at JD Vance on freedom of speech
U.K. prime minister was “proud” of Britain’s history on freedom of speech after Vance said clampdowns affected American citizens.
Russian hackers find ways to snoop on Ukrainian Signal accountsย
Phones found on the battlefield are being linked to Moscow’s intelligence services systems for spying, Google finds.
UK dances to Vanceโs tune
SNEAK PEEK โ Where does the Paris summit leave the U.K.โs AI policy? โย MPs tackle the data bill, amendments and all. โย Patrick Vallance sets out his plan to remake science. Good morning and welcome to Wednesday, This is Tom, heading back to London from a gloomy City of Light. Come and say hi if youโre [โฆ]
The 9 AI power players at the Paris AI Action Summit
Academics can be as influential as tech bros in swaying policymakers to both invest in and set guardrails for the powerful technology.
Britain ditches AI declaration, pitches for cash
SNEAK PEEK โ As the AI Action Summit kicks off, the U.K. is tempted against signing its main declaration. โ Peter Kyle takes his investment pitch to Paris. โ Back at home, thereโs a backlash against the Home Office over encryption. Good Monday morning, This is Tom in Paris. You can get in touch with [โฆ]
The EU wants to scan every message sent in Europe. Will that really make us safer? | Apostolis Fotiadis
Lawmakers argue that mass surveillance will help to protect children. But the implications for our privacy and security are staggeringIn my 20 years of being a reporter, I have rarely come across anything that feels so important โ and yet so widely unn…
What counts as sovereign in the cloud?
Exploring the legal and practical challenges and opportunities for both customers and providers
Musk โreadyโ to provide Meloni with Starlink secure comms
News of the talks comes shortly after the Italian PM visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida.
EU interior ministers remain deadlocked on CSAM detection bill
The main concern among the bill’s opponents is that lawful but intimate images of adults will be mistakenly flagged as child abuse imagery and sent to the authorities.
The post EU interior ministers remain deadlocked on CSAM detection bill appeared fir…
Victors in the race for emerging tech will determine future
Collectively, emerging technologies are creating an unstable world, where we donโt clearly understand what national security looks like.
Child sexual abuse material regulation still at stalemate, despite assurances for encryption
While some states have shifted their views, this will not be enough to counter opposition from France and Germany.
Bitcoin creator is Peter Todd, HBO film says
Documentary claims a Canadian developer is the real Satoshi Nakamoto.
Police can access mobile phone data for minor crimes, EU top court rules
A person in Austria sued the cops for seizing his phone after he received a parcel containing 85 grams of cannabis.
What the new EU leadership means for connectivity
From the Draghi report to Ursula von der Leyenโs new College of Commissioners: the telecom sector is now a key ally in delivering on the promise of more competitiveness.
Tech policy: 20 people to meet at Tory conference
We break down the 20 figures shaping the Conservativesโ tech policy in opposition.
Cops infiltrate โGhostโ encryption app used by drug lords, mafia
International bust is the latest win for law enforcement over criminals seeking to hide their tracks.
The bewildering politics of Telegram
Here are two big reasons the controversial app just became a global flashpoint.
โRussians do everything via Telegram.โ Pavel Durovโs arrest upends Kremlin military comms
Although Durov publicly distances himself from Moscow, his platform has become vital for Russian army coordination in Ukraine.
Telegram CEO reportedly arrested at French airport
Pavel Durov was taken into custody under a French arrest warrant as he got off his private jetย at Le Bourget airport, according to French media reports.
EU Commission looks to study DMA interoperability, with an eye to extending requirements to social media
The European Commission aims to study interoperability provisions in the EU’s digital competition regulation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), according to a published tender.
Draft law to detect online child sexual abuse material stalled again
The draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) was removed from the agenda of Thursday’s (20 June) meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER), who were supposed to vote on it.
EU cancels vote on child sexual abuse law amid encryption concerns
Countries clash over how to safeguard privacy when rooting out illegal pictures and grooming on private chat apps.
EU nears consensus on child abuse draft law, new agency takes lead on privacy preservation
A proposed centralised agency to support the detection and removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) will also be assessing how to technically preserve privacy while detecting such content in text communications included in the law’s scope, accordi…
Audio communications excluded in latest draft of child sexual abuse material law
A new compromise text of the draft law on online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), dated 28 May and seen by Euractiv, excludes audio communications from the scope and tries to strike a new balance between encryption and fighting CSAM.
Tech file on online child abuse material remains incomplete, risks grodlock
The draft law on detecting and reporting online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sparking criticism and tension in the past, remains one of the important yet incomplete tech files of the EU, highlighting its significance as it risks being abandoned …
Nonconsensual AI porn is hated on the left and right. Can the US act on it?
Victims of nonconsensual, sexually explicit deepfakes are lobbying Congress to pass a bill. Lawmakers are running out of time.
EU Parliament recruitment app compromised, encryption debate reignited
Welcome to Euractivโs Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.
Europolโs declaration against end-to-end encryption reignites debate, sparks privacy concerns
Europol’s recent joint declaration with European police chiefs urges action against end-to-end encryption, citing concerns of possible justice obstruction, amid an ongoing debate about balancing data privacy with combating crime.
Podchasov v. Russia: the European Court of Human Rights emphasizes the importance of encryption
Mattis van โt Schip & Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius*
*Both authors work at the iHub and the Institute for
Computing and Information Sciences, Radboud University, The Netherlands – mattis.vantschip[at]ru.nl & frederik…
Online child sexual abuse: New compromise stresses risk assessment, detection, reporting
A new compromise text by the Belgian Presidency of the European Council, seen by Euractiv, about the draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), puts the focus on risk assessment, detection orders, and reporting.
Child sexual abuse: New approach puts focus on Coordinating Authorityโs roles
A new approach by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council to the draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material puts focus on the Coordinating Authority’s roles, such as risk categorisation or detection orders.
โGiants that donโt give a damnโ: X, Pornhub slammed for failure to fight online porn
Online platforms aren’t doing enough to block teens and children from seeing porn, a Belgian regulator said.
Britainโs got some of Europeโs toughest surveillance laws. Now it wants more
Despite the protestations of industry and campaigners, ministers are whisking a new bill through parliament.
Inside the police force scouring the internet to save abused children
Child sexual abuse material is proliferating online, leaving law enforcement fighting against the tide.
The great cryptophone hack: Drug gangs on trial in โhistoricโ Belgian case
Belgian investigators take on cartels in cases hinging on hacked criminals’ chat logs.
Rishi Sunak loves Big Tech. Why does he keep scaring them away?
A surveillance reform speeding through parliament is just the latest UK government proposal that has tech companies worried.
UKโs James Cleverly blasts Metaโs encryption push
Home Secretary says he is โincredibly disappointedโ Meta has not listened to ministersโ concerns.
No more ads on Elonโs X, EU Commission tells staff
Ads on Musk-owned social media site risk causing ‘reputational damage’ to the EU, its executive says in internal note.
Every bill in the Kingโs Speech, reviewed and rated
POLITICO combs through Rishi Sunakโs legislative agenda โ as read out by King Charles III โ so you donโt have to.
EU Commissionโs nameless experts behind its child sexual abuse law
The EU Ombudsman has found a case of maladministration in the European Commission’s refusal to provide the list of experts, which it first denied existing, with whom they worked together in drafting the regulation to detect and remove online child sexu…
Time to get serious about the dangers of quantum computing
โQ-dayโ, when the worldโs data encryption codes fail, is already on its way
EU Parliament nails down agreement on child sexual abuse regulation
The main political groups of the EU Parliament reached an agreement on the draft law to prevent the dissemination of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Tuesday (24 October).
The Panama Papers proved encryption is a massive asset for democracy
We should celebrate the transformative power of encryption and spotlight the incredible things it has done in the fight to expose injustice and give a voice to the voiceless, Bastian Obermayer writes.
Global Encryption Day 2023: Encryption Empowers Our Lives [Promoted content]
Global Encryption Day (21 October) spotlights the importance of end-to-end encryption in our digital lives. Encryption must be celebrated, not weakened, as could be the case through the European Commission’s proposal to combat online child sexual abuse.
EU Commissionโs microtargeting to promote law on child abuse under scrutiny
The European Commission’s use of microtargeting techniques to promote its controversial law to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material is under investigation over concerns it might have violated the EU data protection and privacy rules.
EU prepping for post-quantum encryption, part 2
The second episode of the two-part podcast series aims to shed lightย on the dynamics between the European and the American approach.ย In a discussion with Heike Hagemeier, an expert at the German Federal Office for Information Security, BSI, and Andrea …
Online media oversight in debate and cyber-awareness month
Welcome to EURACTIVโs Tech Brief, yourย weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletterย here.ย
EU prepping for post-quantum encryption
The first episode of the two-part podcast series focusses on the EUโs preparedness for post-quantum encryption. With Heike Hagemeier, an expert at the German Federal Office for Information Security, BSI, and Andrea Garcia Rodriguez, Lead Digital Policy…
EU pushes for common ICT standards with China, Slovak elections test DSA enforcement on disinformation
Welcome to EURACTIVโs Tech Brief, yourย weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletterย here.ย โEU companies told me they face many obstacles and legal uncertainties in China.โ – posted Vฤra Jourovรก, Vice Preside…
UK dials up fight with Meta over encryption
New campaign comes as the United Kingdom finalizes rules that would allow it to monitor encrypted chats.
German MPs back potential Schrems III, EU Parliament wants to abolish extra fees for intra-EU calls
Welcome to EURACTIVโs Tech Brief, yourย weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletterย here.ย
UK government leaves out message scanning from Online Safety Bill
Following an eleventh-hour concession on the UKโs Online Safety Bill, the British government decided not to scan messages for harmful content until it is โtechnically feasibleโ without compromising usersโ privacy. The initiative mirrors the EUโs Digita…
Polish train chaos blamed on radio hackers
IT specialists say radio attacks point to long-standing weaknesses in rail networkโs security.
Is Europe being sidelined in the quantum computing race?
As quantum-powered cyber-attack threats become more real by the day, liberal democracies and autocratic regimes are racing to develop quantum-safe encryption. But Europe risks being a spectator.
Poland slams child sexual abuse material regulation as unnecessary
The regulation to fight child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online is unnecessary as there are other regulations for safety on the internet, Paweล Lewandowski, Polish undersecretary of state at the chancellery of the prime minister, told EURACTIV.