CSAM – Karen Melchior

Speaking at Blockchain for Europe Summit (27 September 2023)

Written on 29. September 2023.

I was honoured to speak at this year’s Blockchain for Europe Summit on the future of digital policy and priorities for the next EU Commission. Here is what I said: This mandate has been one of the busiest ever for Europe’s tech policy, and I think it marks a significant change for the EU. We’ve seen a flurry of regulation, including new laws on data storage and use, competition in the digital sphere, online platforms, digital identity, and artificial intelligence, to name a few. Throughout this mandate, we have seen lawmakers gain a better understanding of the impact of digital...

Dereliction of Duty: how the Women’s Rights Committee failed Women in the Discussions on the ChatControl (CSAM) Regulation

Written on 12. June 2023.

The proposal to break end-to-end encryption in the CSAM regulation (ChatControl) puts everyone’s privacy at risk but is particularly harmful for women. As countries in the EU and elsewhere turn to digital surveillance to hunt down women who are seeking reproductive healthcare, I called on the Women’s rights committee of the European Parliament to speak out about the dangers of breaking end-to-end encryption, but the committee created to protect women’s rights refused to defend them. Protecting Citizens’ rights to privacy, and women’s right to access reproductive healthcare have been two of my...

FEMM Committee Chat Control Amendment Discussion (24 May 2023)

Written on 24. May 2023.

Good Morning, Following the revelations in Wired yesterday showing that a majority of our member states wish to break encryption and some not only to prevent and prosecute Child Sexual Abuse material. We must remember that once encryption is broken, it is broken for all. We must remember once we give up our rights to privacy it’s gone for all of us. I’m glad to be here in the FEMM committee this morning, and welcome this opportunity for this discussion on the CSAM regulation. Thank you to the Rapporteur and shadows for their diligent work There are lots of issues with the Commission’s proposal,...

CSAM – Scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and for unknown content and grooming is particularly problematic

Written on 23. May 2023.

First and foremost, it is essential to understand that the proposal for a regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (CSAM / Chat Control) from the Commission, rather than aiding our fight against abuse, may inadvertently make it more challenging. Specifically, the scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and the pursuit of unknown content and grooming will prove ineffective in catching abusers. The Commission is acting like they can wave a magic “digital” wand and solve child abuse, but their proposal actually risks making it harder to catch abusers while...

ChatControl is illegal, so what can we do to protect kids?

Written on 19. April 2023.

We don’t have to spy on our children to keep them safe! Stop believing in the magic wands of digital filters and flagging content that can make our societies’ problems disappear. Let us use technology to empower our children to identify risks and enable them to reach out to trusted adults instead of a paternalistic approach using flawed technology that won’t protect kids but will make it harder to catch abusers! Let us build an internet that lets kids explore independently while learning about risks in an environment built to offer them safety, agency, and privacy. Introduction Last week,...