A proposed European regulation is being debated: it would remove encryption from WhatsApp for a specific purpose. Some see it as a necessity, others as an invasion of privacy. Explanations.
WhatsApp messaging, which recently changed its look, is one of the most popular in the world. With these numerous features and its massive adoption by Internet users, it is used on a daily basis by millions of people around the world. All exchanges that pass through the application share one thing in common: they are end-to-end encrypted. This means that no one, not even Metathe parent company of WhatsApp, cannot see what you write or share.
A guarantee of respect for private life unfortunately misused by some. We are thinking in particular of the sending of child pornography images and videos, a scourge that affects other platforms such as Instagram for example. According to Ecpat France, a child protection association, Europe is home to 62% of content showing sexual violence against minors. It is in this context that it and other similar organizations are campaigning for the adoption of a European regulation controversially proposed in May 2022.
Why Europe would like WhatsApp messages to no longer be private
The text has a specific goal: to fight against sharing of child pornography and the grooming, this practice where an adult contacts a child with the aim of trapping them. To achieve this, the main idea is to change the operation of all encrypted messaging like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal or iMessage. They would no longer be private, your photos or videos being scanned constantly to identify those that relate to child crime.
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This would require accept it manuallyknowing that refusing would authorize you to use the application in a very limited version, without being able to send images, videos or web links. Some elected officials like Patrick Breyer of the Pirates party speak of “blackmail“, while Guillemette Vuillard, Ecpat program manager, raises the question of the responsibility of European governments: “Are countries sovereign over online security or is it Gafam, the large internet platforms?“. The text is currently under discussion in Brussels.
Source: BFMTV