Bauk: Why is government silent over the withdrawal of Chat Control?

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, the SDP MP noted that the so-called Chat Control Regulation, which is allegedly designed to prevent and combat the sexual abuse of children online, has been withdrawn from the EU Council agenda at the last minute, calling on the Croatian government to explain why it supported this proposal in the first place.

SDP MP Arsen Bauk told the chamber that the Croatian Government must now explain to citizens why it remained silent and supported this detrimental proposal, which was a backdoor introduction of the mass surveillance of citizens. Bauk went on to say that the proposed regulation has fortunately been withdrawn following pressure from citizens, institutions and experts across Europe: "Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Finland and numerous other countries have clearly sent a message that they will not agree to a proposal that threatens the fundamental rights of citizens and breaks end-to-end encryption. And what did the Croatian government do? For years, she remained silent and hoped that such a proposal would pass and that she would get her hands on a mass surveillance tool."

The proposed provisions of the Regulation, he explained, provided that digital platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, TikTok and others automatically scan the private messages, e-mails, photos and files of their users: "Every message, every photo, every conversation would potentially be monitored. That's not protection, that's mass surveillance. That's not security, that's a loss of freedom. It would obviously suit the HDZ. After enslaving all institutions, they could then legally spy on all citizens," Bauk asserted.

Unlike the HDZ, he pointed out, the SDP had warned about the risks of Chat Control, its invasion of privacy, how it opened the door to mass surveillance, and jeopardized freedom of expression. He also noted that the surveillance system could be used in the future to monitor political dissenters, journalists, activists and whistleblowers: "No one disputes that protecting children is the most important goal, but the fight against one evil must not pave the way for another - the mass surveillance of citizens. The withdrawal of the Regulation is a joint victory against the HDZ and espionage.

Source: HRT