Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU Commission mulls police access to encrypted apps

  • EU Commission wants a regulation on encyrption (Photo: Yuri Samoilov)

The European Commission may introduce new EU-rules on end-to-end encryption, possibly allowing police to crack into platforms like WhatsApp or Signal.

"In my view, we need EU regulation in this area but this is why we need to find a right balance before we come with any proposals on that," Ylva Johansson, the EU home affairs commissioner, told reporters on Wednesday (8 December).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

When pressed, Johansson would not dismiss ideas of allowing police access. She added any discussion on the issue needs to be held "in full transparency."

Her views were echoed by European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas.

"I do not see as incompatible the quest for security and our interest to catch the bad guys," he said, noting a balance needs to be struck to ensure rights are respected.

Striking that balance has put civil society on edge.

Inserting backdoors into such platforms, critics say, could make the lives of human right defenders and journalists in authoritarian states much more precarious.

Others say law enforcement can also gain access, by instead demanding courts to release information stored on both servers and end devices.

"Any effort to mandate security flaws in technical systems will empower criminals and malicious state actors," warned NGOs Access Now and the European Digital Rights, in a joint statement.

But EU member states are piling on the pressure anyway.

The council, representing member states, introduced a draft resolution on encryption last month.

It defended the need for strong encryption but also stated that law enforcement "must be able to access data in a lawful and targeted manner."

That has put the commission in a wait-and-see mode.

"Let's wait first for the resolution to be voted and then we will see what is there," said Schinas.

Grim increase in online child sex-abuse

The whole comes amid wider debate on allowing social media platforms like Facebook and Google to track down and remove child sexual abuse content.

New EU wide rules under the so-called ePrivacy Directive, scheduled to take affect on 20 December, will make that task more difficult.

The European Commission has since introduced temporary derogations, currently being debated among the co-legislators, that would allow them to continue tracking and removing the content.

Reports of online child sexual abuse in the EU have increased from 23,000 in 2010 to more than 725,000 in 2019, says the commission.

"If we do not take measures with new temporary legislation, they cannot continue to detect this material, report it and take it down," said Johansson, adding a "more permanent solution" is needed.

Privacy issues are complicating the efforts.

The European Data Protection Supervisor weighed in on the issue last month, noting "confidentiality of communications is a cornerstone of the fundamental rights to respect for private and family life."

They said even voluntary measures by private companies constitute an interference with these rights and warned against the adoption of the commission's derogations on the rules.

Meanwhile, an EU directive introduced in 2011 on combating child abuse, has been fully implemented into national by only two EU states.

EU to target migrant integration and encrypted apps

Migrants ought to learn EU languages and "integrate" their children, while encrypted messaging apps should give keys to authorities to combat terrorism, EU ministers are preparing to say.

EU Parliament set to sue EU Commission over Hungary funds

The European Parliament will likely take the European Commission to court for unblocking more than €10bn in funds for Hungary last December. A final nod of approval is still needed by European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola.

EU Commission clears Poland's access to up to €137bn EU funds

The European Commission has legally paved the way for Poland to access up to €137bn EU funds, following Donald Tusk's government's efforts to strengthen the independence of their judiciary and restore the rule of law in the country.

Opinion

Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers

The UN could launch an independent international investigation into Navalny's killing, akin to investigation I conducted on Jamal Khashoggi's assassination, or on Navalny's Novichok poisoning, in my role as special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, writes the secretary-general of Amnesty International.

Opinion

I'll be honest — Moldova's judicial system isn't fit for EU

To state a plain truth: at present, Moldova does not have a justice system worthy of a EU member state; it is riven with corruption and lax and inconsistent standards, despite previous attempts at reform, writes Moldova's former justice minister.

Latest News

  1. "Swiftly dial back" interest rates, ECB told
  2. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  3. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  4. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  5. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
  6. 2024: A Space Odyssey — why the galaxy needs regulating
  7. Syrian mayor in Germany speaks out against AfD
  8. Asian workers pay price for EU ship recycling

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us