EPIC and 48 Civil Society Organizations Send Joint Statement to New EU Presidency to Withdraw CSA Regulation that Would Break Encryption.

EPIC and 48 civil society organizations sent a joint statement to the new president of the EU reiterating our concerns over the proposed Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Regulation which would break encryption and introduce client side scanning on all devices. The letter calls on the Council and the EU Parliament to demand that the Commission withdraw the draft CSA Regulation.

Instead, the joint statement urges the Council and Parliament to:

1. Work with children’s rights groups, child protection advocates, digital human rights groups, cybersecurity experts, and other technologists to develop new technical and nontechnical solutions which are lawful, targeted, and technically feasible when necessary.
2. Focus on implementation and enforcement of the Digital Services Act to ensure that illegal content is tackled swiftly and proportionately.

EPIC is a long time supporter of end-to-end encrypted messaging and has written several amicus briefs on the subject as well as testifying and sending letters to Congress on various CSAM related bills in the United States.