04/16/2023, 02:11

Liebe Unterstützende,
der Petent oder die Petentin hat innerhalb der letzten 12 Monate nach Ende der Unterschriftensammlung keine Neuigkeiten erstellt und den Status nicht geändert. openPetition geht davon aus, dass die Petition nicht eingereicht oder übergeben wurde.

Wir bedanken uns herzlich für Ihr Engagement und die Unterstützung,
Ihr openPetition-Team

04/15/2022, 22:49

Dear friends of the digital basic rights,

even after the leak of an internal inspection report for the EU commission it remains unclear what exactly the commission is planning regarding #chatcontrol. The repeatedly postponed publication of the bill (now scheduled for May 11) shows that it’s still being worked on. It will depend on this bill if and to what extent the arguments in our "open letter" (dating from Summer 2021) should be modified for this next round.

We are still expecting that the encryption of private chat messages is supposed to be undermined by making it mandatory for app-providers to automatically scan messages on suspicious contents before they are sent. It is open if only messengers or also other services (image hosters, cloud services, video chats) will be legally required to perform these kind of checks. It is also unknown, what an evaluation of the ePrivacy Derogation will reveal or if it will even be taken into account.

In an interview, that the EU commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, gave to German magazine “Spiegel” last December, she said: “We must not accept that we cannot protect both: privacy and children.” It is doubtful if she can stick with this principle, since EVERY reasonless mass surveillance is prohibited in the EU. Yet, usually it comes down to that the damage to digital fundamental rights is denied or downplayed, while an appropriate use for the fight against child abuse is not being questioned.

Recently, 40 organisations from the digital civil society have clarified in a position paper, which ten principles they consider indispensable for the protection of fundamental rights. This certainly set a standard. But no matter how justified they are — legal actions against laws violating basic rights are lengthy and the result is always unknown. And once the infrastructure for surveillance is established, it will soon become a model world wide.

This is why it will be crucial to increase the pressure and public interest regarding this sensitive issue. Especially in excited times, in which totalitarian regimes like the Russian are confronting us, rubber stamping an (expected) massive attack against our fundamental rights cannot be accepted under any circumstances.

08/06/2021, 16:17

As we read today, Apple has decided to search our most private files for indications of child abuse and grooming from now on. First, iClouds will be searched for previously existing material, soon also devices. The search for new material is more difficult, but that is apparently soon to come. (Here, particularly many false positives and blackmail material in foreign hands is to be expected). Also: Parents can be notified if their children exchange nude pictures in iChat messages. For the company, that likes to maintain a privacy-friendly image, this step is a paradigm shift – Pandora's box is being opened.

The proximity in time alone suggests that the legalization of this practice in the EU was an important "go" signal for the company. We see it as a matter of time, that the hashes being sought will be extended to potentially criminal and political content. If you want to prevent a further tightening – towards an obligation to all providers in the EU – and want to end the existing ePrivacy derogation as soon as possible, please sign and spread our open letter. Thank you!!

07/09/2021, 19:52

The ePrivacy derogation was passed this week, as expected, with an 80% majority in the EU Parliament.

Meanwhile, our objection was heard. Patrick Breyer held up our open letter to the camera during his speech and made visible that e-privacy is just like postal secrecy. Members of the Greens and the Left also spoke out clearly against the proposal, while among the Social Democrats the field is mixed.

For a good reason we ask you to continue to promote this signature list:
In this fall, the case will go into the second round!

Because then the obligatory version of this regulation is on the agenda. What up to now MAY be done on a voluntary basis by some providers (like Microsoft Teams, Google etc.), will then become a MUST for all relevant messengers and services. So, while now you still have fallback options, in the future confidential communication would be forced into illegality. For this reason, subsequent lawsuits can only be expected after this stage, because the plaintiffs can only then claim that they no longer see any room for their privacy.

It is unclear whether a ban or circumvention of encryption will be addressed in a third stage. Considerations exist, but the breach of the constitution is apparently evident here even for many advocates of surveillance.

We will occasionally update you again as compactly as possible. Until then, all the best!

Peder Iblher, Giordano Bruno Foundation