EU Proposes Internet Cops, No Anonymity/Obscure Language (cos terrorism&#33

[+M2Ys4U Subscriber¹]

Back in February we wrote about the ominously-named "Clean IT" project in Europe, designed to combat the use of the Internet by terrorists. At that time, we suspected that this would produce some seriously bad ideas, but a leaked document obtained by EDRI shows that these are actually much worse than feared (pdf), amounting to a system of continuous surveillance, extrajudicial removal of content and some new proposals that can only be described as deranged.

Here's EDRI's summary of the central issue:

The leaked document contradicts a letter sent from CleanIT Coordinator But Klaasen to Dutch NGO Bits of Freedom in April of this year, which explained that the project would first identify problems before making policy proposals. The promise to defend the rule of law has been abandoned. There appears never to have been a plan to identify a specific problem to be solved ? instead the initiative has become little more than a protection racket (use filtering or be held liable for terrorist offences) for the online security industry.

Instead of tackling concrete problems, the vague threat of "terrorism" is constantly invoked -- without ever defining what that means -- to justify a range of extreme measures. At the heart of the plans lies the "voluntarism" we discussed a few weeks ago:

Governments should stimulate self-regulation by Internet companies

And where there are laws, it must be OK for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to ignore them and have content taken down on demand:

It must be legal for LEAs to make Internet companies aware of terrorist content on their infrastructure ('flagging') that should be removed, without following the more labour intensive and formal procedures for 'notice and take action'

Due process, who needs it? The plans also require some interesting new laws, like this one criminalizing merely posting certain hyperlinks:

Knowingly providing hyperlinks on websites to terrorist content must be defined by law as illegal just like the terrorist content itself

Here's another proposal -- no more anonymity online:

Internet companies must allow only real, common names. These must be entered when registering.

So what happens if you have an uncommon name? And then there's this:

Social media companies must allow only real pictures of users

Presumably you're not allowed to smile, either. Talking of social media, the Clean IT plans include the introduction of friendly "virtual police officers", constantly spying on, er, watching over Europeans online:

Virtual police officers must be used to show law enforcement is present, is watchful, in order to prevent terrorist use of the Internet and make regular users feel more secure.

The idea is that "virtual police officers" will be keeping an eye on you -- for your own safety, you understand. Other ways in which users will be protected from themselves is through the use of filters:

All kinds of Internet companies, LEAs and NGOs, but not governments, should promote the use of end-user controlled filters among their clients, the public and supporters

Note that "not governments" part -- people mustn't get the idea that this is censorship, oh no. Also required will be automated detection systems, because we know how well they work:

Automated detection systems must be used by LEAs, NGOs and Internet companies.

Among the even more interesting proposals in the leaked document seems to be the idea that the authorities can order encryption to be turned off, presumably to allow eavesdropping:

In some cases notice and take action procedures must lead to security certificates of sites to be downgraded.

But surely the most bizarre proposal for dealing with "abuse" -- an attempt to dress up as lamb the tired old mutton of "terrorism" -- is the following:

The use of platforms in languages abuse specialists or abuse systems do not master should be unacceptable and preferably technically impossible.

Incredible though it might sound, that seems to suggest that less common foreign languages would be banned from the European Internet entirely in case anybody discusses naughty stuff without the authorities being able to spy on them (haven't they heard of Google Translate?) You could hardly hope for a better symbol of the paranoid and xenophobic thinking that lies behind this crazy scheme.

Source: TechDirt

[Glassed Silver]

Stopped reading halfway through lol... Just couldn't take so much BS at once.

I'm quite speechless, but not surprised I must admit... :(

Glassed Silver:mac

[McKay]

EU can go to hell, I cannot think of any use for them.

[Glassed Silver]

EU can go to hell, I cannot think of any use for them.

I can, but they are trying to do way waaaay too much...

I want my national sovereignty back!

Glassed Silver:mac

[McKay]

I can, but they are trying to do way waaaay too much...

I want my national sovereignty back!

Glassed Silver:mac

Out of genuine curiosity, how does the UK being in the EU benefit me?

[Lord Method Man]

EU can go to hell, I cannot think of any use for them.

But without the EU Microsoft would have free rein to release operating systems without a Browser Ballot!

[Calum Veteran]

Obscure language?

The idea of "Internet cops" sounds good to me. But obviously it's all about how that idea is implemented. Some of the points mentioned in the article seem like a good idea, but I'm not sure about others.

I don't mind police knowing which websites I've viewed. Why should I care? I'm not doing anything illegal. It can seriously help prevent crime, especially terrorist attacks, considering how much terrorists use the Internet.

[CJ33]

The terrorist would want that though. They dont like that we have that freedom of anonymity.

[Lord Method Man]

Yep, forget about freedom and privacy. Combating terrorism trumps all...

[Calum Veteran]

The lack of anonymity might be a problem with this, but I'm not too sure. Before Facebook, most people were anonymous online when commenting on things and posting elsewhere; however, since Facebook, many people now use their real names and photos everywhere on the Internet.

I'm certainly interested to learn more about this.

[Seahorsepip Veteran]

It will only get rid of our privacy, the real terrosist use tunnels and networks to hide their stuff so the only victims are the good guys >.>

[123456789A]

Since EU wants a browser ballot on Windows, maybe they should have an Internet cops ballot as well?

[Glassed Silver]

Since EU wants a browser ballot on Windows, maybe they should have an Internet cops ballot as well?

You mean I can chose who'll spank me for being naughty?

AWESOME! Sign me up! :D

Glassed Silver:mac

[simplezz]

Just before a government strips you of a freedom, you'll either hear the word terrorism or child protection. Of course everyone knows it's never about those things, it's always about control, whether it's to stop file-sharing, information access, or policial dissension. But one thing's for certain, it's never in the best interests of the people.

[remixedcat]

ummm many people have usernames that are creative and part of our "brand" and using our real names would take that away.... don;t they realize that us using our usernames rather then our real names gives us character and fun? dumbasses.

[Azusa]

Oh god another terrorspasm?

[exotoxic]

It can seriously help prevent crime, especially terrorist attacks, considering how much terrorists use the Internet.

Would you start planning a terrorist attack if you knew your conversations were being monitored?? No, You would find a better (private) method of communicating.

All you end up doing is pushing it further underground where its even harder to monitor.

[123456789A]

ummm many people have usernames that are creative and part of our "brand" and using our real names would take that away.... don;t they realize that us using our usernames rather then our real names gives us character and fun? dumbasses.

We could create our own internet.

[Andre S. Veteran]

ISPs have no business monitoring any content whatsoever. Every line of this proposition disgusts me.

[Yogurtmaster]

ummmm. How about a big NO!

I couldn't read through all of that as it was too stupid and nobody would have an ounce of freedom.

Why is Europe against freedom? Do, I sense a pattern here?

Liberals hate freedom. There it is. Liberals want to turn everything into having less rights (except they tell you what you can do and what you can believe in). Sounds like communism to me.

I am not a person on the "right". I am actually independent, but these liberals are driving me to the right.

[Growled Member]

Big Brother is back with a vengeance.

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

The internet is the one last outlet of freedom that people have anymore. It's a very powerful tool, especially for those living under oppressive governments. Despite being a solitary country, the people of North Korea have ways of accessing the outside internet, and they're learning the truth about the real state of things.

When the internet emerged, governments around the world dropped the ball by failing to regulate and control the internet. We got lucky, but some of you would heedlessly allow them to take that away from you. A simple lesson for life - The fight never ends, you must forever go on fighting, for once you stop fighting, you lose everything you and your ancestors fought so hard to gain.

Around the world, protesters, political activists, and whistle blowers are under constant threat from their own governments, including in our own countries. They rely on anonymity for their own safety. To say, "I have nothing to hide", is no excuse to allow the problem to fester.

[remixedcat]

yuppie moms are the ones that support this crap.... "for the children" pehhhhh!