Child protection must comply with fundamental rights
Vienna (OTS/SK) – The EU Interior Committee today spoke out against the planned mass surveillance of chat communications. SPÖ spokeswoman for internet policy Katharina Kucharowits welcomes this important step in the fight against mass surveillance: “Child protection on the Internet is one of our top priorities, which is precisely why it must be implemented in accordance with fundamental rights. However, the Commission proposal does not correspond to fundamental rights or civil liberties. With the SPÖ there will be no general surveillance of all citizens without specific suspicion. A year ago, we were able to bring about a four-party resolution against mass surveillance in Parliament’s EU subcommittee. The EU Interior Committee proved us right today, which is a great success.” ****
The Commission’s proposal would mean an end to encrypted chat communication and would jeopardize the professional secrecy of lawyers, doctors and journalists, among others. “The proposal would also have empowered providers to carry out this chat monitoring. Giving corporations responsibility here is another no-go,” concludes Kucharowits. The ÖVP, SPÖ, Greens and NEOS voted for the motion. (End) sd/lp
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