Webinar: Stop Chat Control

Why scanning all our private messages is a very bad idea.

Tuesday 30 September 18.30h CEST - Hosted by Pirate MEP Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA)

Guest experts:

• Carmela Troncoso – from the Security and Privacy Engineering (SPRING) Laboratory. It is a research group at EPFL – École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland
• Joachim – Representative of the Fight Chat Control initiative; will bring the citizen’s perspective on how public pressure shapes the debate.
• Udbhav Tiwari - VP, Strategy and Global Affairs, Signal
• Asha Allen - Director of The Centre for Democracy & Technology (CDT) Europe

The government should not have access to all the messages or photos you send. Period.

Scanning all messages, photos and files, without consent or even suspicion is a major breach of our right to privacy and a huge security threat. Nevertheless, the European lawmakers are still pushing through with the so-called Chat Control legislation. Under the pretence that it would protect kids from online abuse, all checks and balances for the protection of our privacy are dismantled. And scientists already concluded that Chat Control will not work.

It is time to come together and stop Chat Control. In a time where autocratic regimes all over the world threaten our freedom to communicate we need to increase our privacy protection, not lower our guards.

Markéta Gregorová

Markéta Gregorová was re-elected last year as a Member of the European Parliament for the Czech Pirate Party, once again working within the Greens/EFA political group. In the EP, she focuses primarily on security, the fight against disinformation and foreign interference, the challenges of international trade, as well as the long-standing political clashes around so-called “chat control” and other surveillance legislation, where she consistently defends citizens’ right to privacy. She actively draws attention to the risks connected with Chinese influence, initiated the very first European Parliament mission to Taiwan, and contributed, among other things, to the adoption of a ban on TikTok in European institutions. This year, in cooperation with experts, she published the collection Visions for Europe, which offers a pluralistic perspective on the Union’s direction and opens debate on deeper integration and federalization. Beyond politics, she is also fighting for a free internet and LGBTQ+ rights, which she vocally promotes not only in parliamentary halls but also directly in the streets. And last but not least, she is the singer in the band Definitivní ententýk.

Carmela Troncoso

Carmela Troncoso leads the SPRING Lab at EPFL. Her research focuses on building secure and privacy-preserving technologies while critically assessing their societal impact. She received her PhD from KU Leuven in 2011, and her contributions to privacy research have been recognized with multiple awards, including the CNIL-INRIA Privacy Protection Award (2017). In 2020, she was named one of Fortune’s “40 under 40” in technology.

Joachim

Joachim is a member of the Fight Chat Control initiative, which raises awareness about the European Union’s proposed “Chat Control” regulation. The initiative works to inform citizens about the risks this proposal poses to privacy and digital security by mandating the scanning of all private communications, including encrypted messages. Fight Chat Control advocates for the protection of end-to-end encryption and empowers people to engage with their elected representatives to defend fundamental rights. The platform provides accessible information on the proposal, tracks EU Member States’ positions, and helps citizens make their voices heard.

Udbhav Tiwari

Udbhav Tiwari is Vice President of Strategy and Global Affairs at Signal, where he leads the platform’s global engagement on technology policy, regulation, and trust and safety. He has extensive experience in digital rights, internet governance, and emerging technology regulation, having previously worked at Mozilla and the Centre for Internet and Society in India.

Asha Allen

Asha Allen is the Director of the Centre for Democracy & Technology (CDT) Europe, where she oversees the organization’s work on EU policy related to digital rights, platform regulation, and human rights online. She is a leading advocate for safer, rights-respecting technology, with a background in online safety, equality, and civic empowerment.