Privacy regulators in the EU are deeply concerned about plans by the European Commission to require chat services and other tech companies to scan all users' messages and other content for child abuse.
European Privacy Supervisor (EDPS) and European Data Protection Board (EDPB) believe that child abuse is a very serious crime, but they consider the plans a serious risk to the fundamental rights of 450 million Europeans. Any curtailment of privacy and data protection must respect the essence of these fundamental rights, and be limited to what is strictly necessary and proportionate.
The regulators further believe that artificial intelligence scanning of communications is very likely to lead to errors and is a major invasion of users' privacy. "The negative consequences of monitoring individuals' text and audio communications on a general basis is so serious that it cannot be justified under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union," said EDPS Chairman Wojciech Wiewiórowski.
