European Policy, Government Surveillance, Privacy & Data
Briefing Document on Key Issues in European Commission’s CSAM Proposal
Further to the publication of the proposed CSAM Regulation (the Regulation) by the European Commission on 11 May 2022, CDT Europe provides this briefing as an overview of some of the most pressing human rights concerns in the proposal. Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime that demands a robust and holistic response. It is essential to recall that security of communications and privacy protections are of vital importance to the protection of childs’ rights, and therefore also need to be protected in the context of this Regulation.
The draft Regulation has such a broad scope, applying to both hosting services and providers of internal communications, and mandating scanning of all communications, that, in its current draft, it very concerningly amounts to giving a mass surveillance mandate to law enforcement authorities. The measures envisaged by the Proposal would constitute a disproportionate interference with the fundamental rights to respect for private life, the right to free expression and association and data protection of all users of electronic communications services.
