Sutaj Estok Rejects Mass Surveillance Mechanisms under Chat Control Proposal

Bratislava, 3 September (TASR) - Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) rejects the mechanisms for mass scanning of private messages under the proposed European legislation known as Chat Control designed to protect children from abuse in the online environment, as he is convinced that the protection of children and privacy protection may not be mutually exclusive, TASR reported on Wednesday based on his video post published on a social network. He said that effective tools to combat child abuse need to be in place, however, without creating a system conducive to the misuse of personal data. According to Sutaj Estok, Slovakia should promote a balanced and reasonable approach in Brussels. "Our goal must be a solution that really protects children, while at the same time providing clear and binding guarantees for the protection of the privacy of our citizens," said Sutaj Estok. Even though he initially supported the proposal, the current wording contains several risks, such as the possibility to break encrypted private messages. He said that his ministry would take part in the discussions on how the legislation governing the protection of children could be set up to make it efficient and safe. "But we will support only those measures which are in line with the interests of the Slovak Republic and its people," he said, adding that blanket spying would definitely not be one of them. jrg/mcs