Watchful Citizen

Time is running out.

On Sept 12, EU countries vote on chat control - a law that would make every messaging app scan your private chats before you even hit send.

Only six countries openly oppose it right now. Germany and several others are still undecided. MEPs from different parties are warning this is mass surveillance on everyone.

I'm terrified my kids will grow up in a world where every private thought gets scanned before they can share it. You can't have democracy without free speech, and you can't have free speech under surveillance.

https://fightchatcontrol.eu

#privacy #e2ee #chatcontrol #HumanRights #security

Fight Chat Control - Protect Digital Privacy in the EU

Learn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.

Sep 7, 2025 at 9:07amWeb
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 7, 2025

I keep thinking about what this really means for how we think and communicate.

When you know everything you type gets scanned, you start self-censoring before you even realize it. Not just illegal stuff - controversial ideas, unpopular opinions, anything that might flag as "problematic."

But it's worse than that. When they control the infrastructure, they don't just watch - they curate. Block what doesn't align. Amplify what does. Gradually, the information you see shapes the opinions you think are your own.

Look at China - people there genuinely believe they're happy. It's not just fear keeping them quiet. Years of controlled information flow actually changed how they think about freedom, privacy, democracy.

Democracy dies not with soldiers marching in the streets, but with citizens who've been conditioned to want surveillance.

#surveillance #privacy #democracy

Show threadrtnSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen Germany needs to step up and oppose and then it's over. Until the next proposal comes and they can vote again.
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 7, 2025

@rtn yes. Germany shocks me the most. If anyone should understand what happens when governments mass surveil their citizens, it's them.

You'd think a country that literally had families spying on each other for the state would be the first to say "never again" to mass surveillance infrastructure.

Instead, Germany's new government is wavering on Chat Control. That's terrifying. If Germany - with its history - can't see the danger, who will?

Show threadrtnSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen I have faith in Germany. Last time I checked all the AfD representatives are opposing (on https://fightchatcontrol.eu)
Fight Chat Control - Protect Digital Privacy in the EU

Learn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.

Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 7, 2025
@rtn yeah seems like 23 of 96 is openly opposed. Should be more
Show threadSolSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen @rtn I believe that some more will very likely come forward like "die Linke" and "die Grünen" and maybe even SPD and FDP. The main reason why nothing is "official" now is because we have corrupt idiots as the government because old people like to vote for "what they always voted for". That parties evolve and change they don't consider even the slightest. And who would have guessed, Germany has a f-ton of old people.
Show threadHeals Sep 7, 2025

@watchfulcitizen that’s east Germany, the western states never had that issue (no Stasi) and prefer to ignore it for the rest of the nation.

/cc @rtn

Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

@watchfulcitizen

@rtn

I hope you are aware of the fact that the #Zionists already are spying on most ppl in the world, wake up...

Show threadvikkeläSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen 1984 wasn't meant to be an instruction manual...
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 7, 2025
@qwc it's scary how close we are now...
Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

@watchfulcitizen
I have never read something so naive as your text...

Do you believe in democracy, and I mean REAL democracy?
Because there is currently no nation in the world that implements real democracy, not even the USA...
If you think that's not true, then ask yourself when your vote was personally asked when your goverment decided on something.
....

#surveillance #privacy #democracy

Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

to other's way of live, else you won't get the respect you want either, nor have any right to ask or demand that respect.
@watchfulcitizen

#surveillance #privacy #democracy

Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 10, 2025
@TriMoon there is no country that is 100% Democratic. But democracy can not exist without privacy. Its impossible.
Show threadTriMoonSep 12, 2025

@watchfulcitizen
Since when is there an "anonyms democracy".
In contrary of what you say there can not be any democracy without public voicing/voting.

Democracy means majority voting, not majority "intent in mind".
- A secret known by more as one person, is not a secret anylonger.

Show threadDelegateVoidSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen meanwhile get as many people as possible on @delta
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 7, 2025
@delegatevoid @delta what makes it different / better from signal?
Show threadDelegateVoidSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen
Signal is very easily blocked using DPI (as is the case for me and a few billion other people). DeltaChat on the other hand relies on existing e-mail infrastructure (IMAP/SMTP) and thus completely federated. Blocking IMAP and SMTP isn't economically feasible, so many things rely on e-mail. It's basically piggy-backing on the largest federated infrastructure in the world. (Signal on the other hand is completely centralized)
Show thread[email protected] :verified-skull: Sep 11, 2025
@watchfulcitizen

Just a comment from the sideline:
Unlike Signal, which is very good but centralised to one single point in the US, DeltaChat is decentralised and can be self-hosted. There are other benefits in favour of DeltaChat too, but I see that is the biggest difference from Signal.


@delegatevoid @delta
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 11, 2025
@m @delta @delegatevoid to me it seems to solve different issues. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't deltachat focusing on avoiding detection? Signal seems to be safer
Show thread[email protected] :verified-skull: Sep 11, 2025

@watchfulcitizen

I compare them as “private end-to-end encrypted messaging apps”. I’d say DeltaChat is the winner in the category, with Signal coming in as second (and then the rest).

Just to clarify I agree with all your posts in this thread, I merely replied with regards on how DeltaChat differs from Signal (as I don’t think enough people know about DeltaChat and what it is).

I should also clarify I am a daily user of both. If I had to delete all but one though, DeltaChat would be the one that stays on my devices, as I find that the most private, secure and also the most difficult to shut down or prevent me from using.

@delta @delegatevoid

Show threadDelegateVoidSep 11, 2025
@watchfulcitizen @m @delta Both are cryptographic secure, but yes the Signal protocol does currently have some advantages over Delta, but that's being worked on. For me the issue isn't so much about avoiding detection, but simply the fact that it works (mainly because it's federated) whereas Signal is centralized and simply doesn't work here.
Show threadSolSep 7, 2025
@watchfulcitizen Isn't the EU Vote on October 14th?
Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 8, 2025
@hydr0nium you are right, I realize my text was missleading. the EU Vote is on October 14. the September 12 meeting is where positions get set. Doesn't change the urgency though.
Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

@watchfulcitizen
Freedome of speach does not equal freedom to perform illegal actions.
If ppl want to express fe. "How to rape a child" in some chat, they should be STOPPED period, because that can not be considered "free speach".
Same with other kind of illegal stuff.

Do you understand?

#privacy #e2ee #chatcontrol #HumanRights #security

Show threadWatchful CitizenSep 10, 2025

@TriMoon I think I understand your point.

However, child protection experts who work with abuse cases every day actually oppose this proposal because it won't catch predators but will harm kids. The scanning creates security holes that make everyone including children more vulnerable. The technical reality is predators will simply use different apps while millions of innocent messages get scanned. Even with 99% accuracy that's still thousands of false reports daily overwhelming investigators.

Multiple children's rights organizations have written letters opposing this specifically because it diverts resources from proven protection methods. They're asking for funding for actual help programs instead. The proposal even includes a review clause admitting they plan to expand scanning later.

If you spend just 10 minutes researching this you'll find every encryption expert explains why this approach makes children less safe not more safe. It's a trojan horse where the child protection angle sounds good but that's where it stops.

This whole thing is a massive danger to democracy for everyone everywhere.

Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

@watchfulcitizen
I only gave an example with child abuse, what i described applies to ALL illigal activity.

And that argument that they will just shift to other means is void also, because following that thought you might as well get rid of ALL-LAWS.
Sorry to say but that WONT happen.
There are laws for a reason and those that choose not to abide by them will just pay the consequences.
...

Show threadTriMoonSep 10, 2025

@watchfulcitizen
...
In real life ppl will just get LYNCHED by the community until law enforcement "rescues" them from the population.
Why would the digital world be a place where no penalties and laws exist?

No they need to do those scans to protect the innocent ones, no matter if ill minded ppl oppose it or not.

If they want to keep their "privacy" in this regard in the digital world, they should do the same as they would in real life, eg. Just STFU or pay the consequences.

Show threadkhobochkaSep 10, 2025

@TriMoon @watchfulcitizen This is bullshit, actually, because what is written here about real-life laws is a lie, specifically: in real life there are laws, which are enshrined in constitutions no less, which protect secrecy of correspondence.

Thus, if you want to project real-life laws onto digital space, you also need to guarantee secrecy of correspondence in digital space. Unless you explicitly want to violate real-life constitutional laws of several countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secrecy_of_correspondence

Secrecy of correspondence - Wikipedia