this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025
129 points (80.0% liked)

Privacy

36445 readers
206 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

As part of its efforts, the bloc has repeatedly introduced its Chat Control legislation, aimed at weakening the encryption that protects messaging services and force providers to provide a client-side backdoor for law enforcement.

top 36 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 13 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

It is a big difference to confuse the lack of privacy when an gov can access userdata in the case of an court order with the lack of privacy when private companies can spread and sell userdata. The difference is the right of the user to access and delete his data, which exists by law in the EU, but not in the USA. The EU is far from perfect, but lightyears better in questions of privacy

Microsoft US

Microsoft EU

[–] [email protected] 6 points 12 hours ago

No, it's not even close to one of the greatest threats. Of course it's up to shady s***, of that there can be no doubt, but it's not ranked in the top five.

Classic baitclick.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago

If anyone were really worried about privacy, all internet related companies would be in bankruptcy. Apple? Meta? Google? SnapChat? Reddit? You name it, their whole purpose is collecting the personal data of their users.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm sorry, what now?

There is no place on this earth with better privacy protection laws

Yeah, it's still far from perfect but to call ot the greatest threat is just disingenuous, it's a lie. It's shouting FIRE in a movie theater because someone smokes. Stop doing this shit

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Accidental self-own admitting to everyone you haven’t been paying attention to the EU’s aggressive software backdoor agenda.

If you don’t have privacy from the government, you don’t have privacy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 32 minutes ago)

Can you point to a specific law that the EU has passed in this direction?

Cos according to the article all attempts to pass something like this that have been presented in the EU have been blocked. By the EU.

An alternative title could have been: "EU Possibly The Only One Who Has Been Explicitly Rejecting Backdoor Mandates Until Now"

Sure, proposals keep being presented.. but I feel it's kind of a bit early to call the EU "greatest threat" just because yet another attempt has been made. Specially when you compare it with many other places where they apply things like this without batting an eye.

I'm not saying we (Europeans) shouldn't push (yet again) to make sure this also fails... but the title of the article is a bit misplaced, and after a history of successful rejections I feel a lot more optimistic.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

If you don’t have privacy from the government, you don’t have privacy.

Privacy refers to more than just privacy regarding the government.

Your threat model and situation might mean that if the government knows something, its as bad as if every single person knows it.

But this isn't for everyone.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

If you are a human being living under the control of a government, the government is absolutely a threat to you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Yes, in an dictatorship where the gov have always access to your data and activity, but in the EU they need for it an court order to access the data from an individual. Meanwhile US companies like Google, are even reading your mail.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

...the government is absolutely a threat to you.

I don't see how this supports your previous claim of: "If you don’t have privacy from the government, you don’t have privacy."

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 day ago (1 children)

EU has the best privacy laws, only behind Switzerland.

They will not be close to the greatest threat, but it will still be a step back.

Also, these are proposals that has not been voted in ever before. So be sure to vote for politicians that wont, so we can keep it that way.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Privacy from whom? Privacy from corporations means nothing if you have zero privacy from a neoliberal corporate government.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Right. Let's start by the right to privacy written in the constitution. A constitution is not for companies/corporations/enterprises/zaibatsus/gafam/moral entities.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

True, but most of the Europeans dont have those governments.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Which of them are blocking EU attempts to mandate government backdoors?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/

He put the ones who didnt vote 'in favour', that's why it didnt pass.

But you can see who's directly opposing.

[–] [email protected] 60 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The title is missing a second part: "after China, the US, Russia, the UK, etc.".

I get that privacy is potentially in danger if chatcontrol passes (ie. it's not right now) and that to raise awareness is worthwhile, but misrepresenting one of the best places privacy-wise as "one of the greatest threats" is just dishonest.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The EU is interesting because there is the GDPR that has good data privacy protection but then they keep bringing up chat control which completely undermines privacy

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago

"They" being some proponents starting with Ylva Johansson, but it's also true that they have never had a majority to actually make chat control happen. They keep trying, but "they" are not the EU as a whole.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Because they support limited privacy from corporations, but zero privacy from government. The neoliberals don’t consider that a double standard.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

None of those countries are trying to dismantle encryption entirely so no, I disagree.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 48 minutes ago* (last edited 48 minutes ago)

I genuinely sus that all "fedditors" are Washingtobots

Feddit.org instance even has "fed" and "reddit" in it, what an unholy mix

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Well, the UK sure is trying, and the US was also thinking about it (never got to law-making at least)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

No, those countries are not enshrining in law the requirement for backdoors to serve your own government, for which you’ll be required to comply.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 day ago (2 children)

in other news: big tech oligarchy takes aim at EU privacy laws.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Through Sweden. If they want to pass this, they can commit Swexit.

Literally no other country (including Germany, which wanted to be in the Five Eyes) has ever proposed this.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago

Both are true

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Non sensationalist broligarch funded shitrag version.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sadly not my coinage, I stole it from someone. :)

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

That's OK. In this context theft is art.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

When does this stupid joke of a EU law end....

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Never probably, these are law proposals.

They have never been voted in, as the majority of EU doesnt want them.

So makes sure to vote in politicans that wont, so we can keep it that way.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

In a world where the Great Firewall and the Five Eyes exist? Sure buddy

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

I hope that the current insufferability of US realities will help shed this law from our fates

[–] [email protected] -5 points 1 day ago

You always have to balance it with law enforcement. Being at the mercy of criminals, life savings stolen by scammers, etc is not freedom.