Proposed EU Chat Control regulation could create surveillance state

New law would threaten individual privacy and undermine public trust in digital life as well as leaving every European device open to cyber-criminals and hostile states, writes Brian Honan 

We must hold vendors that provide the messaging platforms to account by compelling them to remove illegal content rapidly, co-operate better with law enforcement, and implement transparent reporting and moderation tools in line with the requirements of the EU Digital Services Act. File photo

Child sexual abuse and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online are among the most grievous crimes there are. Stopping the proliferation and sharing of CSAM online is one of gravest challenges of our digital age. 

The lifelong trauma inflicted on young victims is an unimaginable abuse of trust and innocence that stains society at its core. The Irish Internet Hotline highlights that in Ireland alone, reports of CSAM surged by 55% in the past year, with nearly 45,000 incidents reported, many depicting self-generated images created under duress or manipulation.