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EU Lawmakers Back Exports Control on Spying Technology (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the assuming-more-control dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: EU lawmakers overwhelmingly backed plans on Thursday to control exports of devices to intercept mobile phone calls, hack computers or circumvent passwords that could be used by foreign states to suppress political opponents or activists. Members of the European Parliament's trade committee voted by 34 votes to one in favor of a planned update to export controls on "dual use" products or technologies. The EU has had export controls since 2009 on such dual use products including toxins, laser and technology for navigation or nuclear power, which can have a civilian or military applications but also be used to make weapons of mass destruction. The EU has felt that spyware or malware and telecom of Internet surveillance technologies are increasingly threatening security and human rights and proposed a modernization of its export control system to cover cyber-surveillance.

12 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. logic by phantomfive · · Score: 1
    Here is a quote from the article about their motivation:

    "The move is part of the EU’s strategy to take advantage of the trade vacuum left by more protectionist U.S. President Donald Trump both in terms of striking trade accords with other countries and setting values for global trade."

    It appears the trade commission decided to increase trade by restricting trade, and creating regulations that make no sense. (Are they really going to stop the export of computers and SDR? Not that those are made in Europe anyway, but why let that stop a futile gesture?).

    Hey, let's cheer them on, at least they aren't starting any wars or insulting other world leaders.

    (PS I lied, looks like AMD has a fab in Europe. Careful, those are usable for hacking!)

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    1. Re:logic by Plammox · · Score: 3, Informative

      Are they really going to stop the export of computers and SDR? Not that those are made in Europe anyway, but why let that stop a futile gesture?

      I know at least one deep packet inspection equipment maker here, off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many others.

    2. Re:logic by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      They are introducing measures to increase trade, but one provision of those new measures is to safeguard the EU's moral stance on the export of surveillance equipment to states where it might be abused.

      Unfortunately they don't seem to be including the UK on the list of abusers, but it's still better than nothing.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:logic by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Ah, I see what you are getting at. According to you, they are saying, "We don't want these devices to be used to oppress citizens, so we won't let them be exported." Whether or not they will succeed is one thing, but at least they are trying.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    4. Re:logic by BlueStrat · · Score: 1

      ...they are saying, "We don't want these devices to be used to oppress other nation's citizens just our own so we won't let them be exported."

      FTFY

      After all, if they have strict restrictions on exporting them who do you think will be buying and using most of them?

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    5. Re:logic by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      That's it. Of course those devices will still leak out, I'm sure. But if EU based companies can't sell directly or provide any support to people in those countries, it at least makes them much less valuable. Typically those tools are not plug-and-play, they require training and expertise to use.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:logic by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      You can find us in Eindhoven at ASML

      City of light, woohoo!

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  2. Re:Horses for courses. by phantomfive · · Score: 1

    Perhaps those regulations don't make sense to you. Likewise, you don't make sense to me.

    A stunning analysis based in logic and pure sequitur. Applauded to be you are. Infallible well logic sense is done!

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  3. Encryption being encouraged in the same ruling by freax · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In the same ruling they are also encouraging the use of encryption and explicitly stating that EU states must not ban the use of encryption.

  4. You can't export spying technology! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    We barely have enough of it to keep our own citizens under control, if China wants to spy on their people they can bloody well do that themselves, too!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Re:Socialists are the most selfish by Opportunist · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Like... say ... Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Austria, Germany, France...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. Accidental export ban on telecom equipment by The+Cynical+Critic · · Score: 1

    Banning the export of "dual use" products? They obviously don't know that functionality for being able to listen in on phone calls is a standard feature of telecom backbone equipment and is commonly used for perfectly legal things like criminal investigations and (actual) anti-terrorism. What this means is that European makers of it (or rather the maker of it after Nokia's networks division first merged with Siemens' and then bought out Alcatel-Lucent) need to start making sabotaged versions of their equipment, thus giving non-European competitors a clear competitive edge, or stop exporting it outside of Europe altogether.

    --
    "Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."