Vitalik Buterin applauds the EU’s decision to reject the conversation control proposal.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin praised the EU’s rejection of the conversation control proposal, calling it a significant victory for privacy. Buterin highlighted the efforts of privacy advocates and warned of future legislative challenges to digital privacy.
Vitalik Buterin Commends EU for Rejecting Conversation Control Policy, Hailing It as a Privacy Victory
Valora Unveils Mobile Stack for Seamless Web3 DAppVitalik Buterin has celebrated the EU’s repeal of the conversation control policy, a clear victory for privacy.
According to CoinGape, Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, has finally expressed his opinion on the European Union’s initiative to implement conversation control on social media platforms.
Vitalik Buterin acknowledged the EU’s rejection of the conversation Control 2.0 conversation control proposal, stating it feels like a significant victory.
He expressed his appreciation for the efforts of various entities that prevented the proposal from being implemented. As a result, Buterin congratulated the Europeans on their most recent victory over the authorities. In a subsequent post, the Ethereum executive emphasized that this may differ from the conclusion of legislation that threatens citizens’ privacy.
However, Buterin contends that this marks a problematic period in preserving privacy. Here is a background narrative to provide context for Buterin’s post.
EU Proposes AI-Driven Bulk Scanning on Encrypted Platforms to Combat Child Exploitation, Faces Privacy Concerns
In addition to the Market in Crypto Asset (MiCA) regulatory framework, EU member states have proposed bulk scanning of private communication on encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal. This would entail examining videos, images, and URLs transmitted through these platforms to identify incriminating content. An algorithm propelled by Artificial Intelligence will execute the process with a government database of recognized abuse material.
The objective was to reduce the incidence of child security exploitation on these social media platforms.
It is essential to mention that the legislation must be approved by the Council of the EU, one of the two legislative bodies. From this point, it will proceed to the subsequent legislative phase. Several privacy advocates, including administrators of encrypted messaging platforms, opposed the proposal. Some even compared it to the mass surveillance depicted in George Orwell’s 1984.
Industry Leaders Criticize EU Proposal, Emphasize Threat to End-to-End Encryption and Privacy
Prominent industry figures criticized the proposal, citing its misalignment with end-to-end encryption, which guarantees that messages can only be accessed by the originator and the intended recipient.
According to Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation, experts have made it clear that it is impossible to preserve the integrity of end-to-end encryption and expose encrypted contents to surveillance in the past. Nevertheless, the proposal to implement this precise preservation has been raised numerous times.
A petition titled “Don’t Scan Me” was circulated and garnered many signatures. However, their efforts were unsuccessful, as the proposal’s sponsors ultimately withdrew it.
