this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2025
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cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/48813307

!!! IF YOU ARE AN EU CITIZEN, PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING FORM !!!

https://fightchatcontrol.eu/#contact-tool

Be especially sure to select your home country's permanent representation in the Committee, but selecting everyone the website proposes is a very good idea (and done by default).

Raise your voices and flood their inbox, this might be the last chance we ever get

Source

Patrick Breyer's warning about this from 2 days ago

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[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 148 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (3 children)

Why is this specifically relevant to Linux users?

Well,

  • controlling end-to-end encrypted messages is only possible if either the keys/certificates are not secret (which is possible with TLS), or the software on the end-users device is not controlled any more by the user (but perhaps by law enforcement, or companies). This overturns the basis of any FLOSS software system where trust is based on transparency and user control.
  • age verification will typically done by a form of attestation, a highly problematic concept. Again, this would require to run software on the users device which can't be controlled by him or her, which is deceptively called "trusted computing". (Technically, age verification could be done by other means, but this is not what these proposals aim for).
  • in the world of public-key cryptography, which is what TLS , GnuPG, and most other modern systems are based in, encryption and digital signatures are nothing but two sides of the same coin: Who breaks encryption keys necessarily also breaks signature keys. This means it is not possible any more to sign software such as the Linux kernel, or Email clients, or browser packages. Or even banking apps or bootloaders for smart phones. Which means to give control away to the entities, groups or induviduals controlling these keys. Ironically, this will make computing lot less safe, and also undermine trust in communication networks, because communication where we can't be sure that the communicated symbols are genuine is for humans as worthless as the numbers on fake money. (As a corollary, it is also bad for business: All business is based on some amount of trust. Would you do important business with somebody if the only communication channel you have happens to be a messanger which is a compulsory liar?)

To sum up, this is a massive transfer of control.

[–] Best_Jeanist@discuss.online 20 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] Quibblekrust@thelemmy.club 1 points 3 days ago

Why would a person choose to use fewer words to relay a thought when using more words is clearly better?

I propose instead, OP change their comment to say:

him, her, them, hir, zir, em, xem, xim, per, ve, ey, faer, aer, or thon

[–] zergtoshi@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

These politicians really aren't afraid of those they were elected to represent...
For their sake I hope they stop this FAFO, before more damage is done.

[–] katharta@quietzero.net 4 points 5 days ago

@HaraldvonBlauzahn This is the most clear and concise technical summary detailing the dangers of EU Chat Control so far. Thank you.