The European Parliament and the Council are discussing a regulation that would ensure all messages get scanned for child pornography and which is perceived by many as a threat to basic freedoms
This is nothing new fighting pedophilia and human trafficking are the smokescreen used to enact most laws controlling the internet.
Edit to fill in what I’m implying: these laws (eg FOSTA-SESTA) are either ineffective or counterproductive in their stated goal, while simultaneously having broad add-on effects, generally harming free speech.
FOSTA-SESTA makes sex work less safe for those who are not trafficked. Meanwhile it pushes actual traffickers “underground” and off the internet, making it much harder for law enforcement to find and successfully prosecute them. Bonus: the law has been used to push sex education and general discussion of sex and sexuality off of major websites.
“For the children!” legislation has never been for the children, and always has been pushing authoritarian laws that take away peoples power.
and they feel safe doing it, because they have the in built system of shutting down criticism and complaint with “Oh, so you DON’T want to protect the childrens? You DON’T want to stop them being sexually exploited?!”
Not gonna lie the fighting pedophilia seems more of an excuse in order to read our messages!
The “fighting terrorism” argument didn’t work, so this is their new angle.
It worked, they just want even more access with less push back.
Or the “fighting drugs” argument either
This is nothing new fighting pedophilia and human trafficking are the smokescreen used to enact most laws controlling the internet.
Edit to fill in what I’m implying: these laws (eg FOSTA-SESTA) are either ineffective or counterproductive in their stated goal, while simultaneously having broad add-on effects, generally harming free speech.
FOSTA-SESTA makes sex work less safe for those who are not trafficked. Meanwhile it pushes actual traffickers “underground” and off the internet, making it much harder for law enforcement to find and successfully prosecute them. Bonus: the law has been used to push sex education and general discussion of sex and sexuality off of major websites.
“For the children!” legislation has never been for the children, and always has been pushing authoritarian laws that take away peoples power.
and they feel safe doing it, because they have the in built system of shutting down criticism and complaint with “Oh, so you DON’T want to protect the childrens? You DON’T want to stop them being sexually exploited?!”
That’s exactly what a criminal would say! /s