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EU’s plan to tackle online child abuse spark privacy rights fears

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EU’s plan to tackle online child abuse spark privacy rights fears

Privateness activists are sounding the alarm over the European Fee’s plans to clamp down on on-line youngster abuse, warning that it could usher in “mass surveillance” within the bloc.

The EU government’s Higher Web for Children technique, unveiled on Wednesday is looking for stronger safeguards to guard youngsters from dangerous content material on-line or from being preyed upon.

Margrethe Vestager, Government Vice-President for a Europe match for the Digital Age, assured in an announcement that the technique is “consistent with our core values and digital ideas” whereas her colleague, Commissioner for Inner Market Thierry Breton, burdened that the EU now “name upon trade to play its half in making a protected, age-appropriate digital setting for kids in respect of EU guidelines.”

Niels Van Paemel, coverage advisor at Baby Focus Belgium, informed Euronews that the NGO is “very happy that  the Fee is taking the combat in opposition to CSAM, Baby Sexual Abuse Materials, to the subsequent degree.”

“It is nice that proper now we see trade, that they’re being reminded of their duties. We’re shifting away from voluntary motion, that is the way it was up to now however that did not work. Now social media platforms are pressured to proactively search for reviews and take away doable exploitation,” he defined. 

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Problematic content material they detect will then be flagged to a soon-to-be-created EU experience centre in addition to nationwide authorities, which Van Paemel stated would make the combat in opposition to CSAM extra clear in addition to improve cooperation between member states’ organisations and legislation enforcement.  

‘Clearly undermines end-to-end encryption’

However privateness rights consultants or activists are way more crucial of the Fee’s plan which obliges firms to service suppliers to detect, report and take away youngster sexual abuse when it was beforehand achieved on a voluntary foundation. 

It additionally calls for that they monitor encrypted content material. Finish-to-end encryption allows solely the sender and reader of a communication to entry its content material. Tech firms, together with Meta – the mother or father firm of Fb – and Apple, have for years resisted authorities’ demand they create so-called backdoors to encrypted companies.

However Fee argues that “if such companies had been to be exempt from necessities to guard youngsters and to take motion in opposition to the circulation of kid sexual abuse photographs and movies by way of their companies, the implications could be extreme for kids.”

For Zach Meyers, Senior Analysis Fellow on the Centre for European Reform (CER) suppose tank, the Fee’s plan “clearly undermines end-to-end encryption.”

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“As soon as a “backdoor” to undermine encryption exists, that may create each new safety vulnerabilities for hackers, and inevitable political stress to develop the “backdoor” in order that it covers extra than simply youngster sexual abuse materials (CSAM) over time,” Meyers added. 

This might result in some firms shelving end-to-end encrypted companies altogether as a way to adjust to the EU’s laws. 

It is usually a little bit of a head-scratcher for trade gamers because the bloc is predicted to quickly give the ultimate inexperienced gentle on two vital items of laws — the Digital Markets Act and Digital Providers Act — which can, partially, regulate tech firms’ entry and use of non-public knowledge.

The EU parliament has all through the negotiations with the EU Council on these two key items of laws insisted that end-to-end encryption be protected. 

Then, there may be the truth that detecting grooming is way more durable to do than recognizing dangerous photographs and movies, which might largely be achieved with synthetic intelligence instruments.

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Based on Meyers, “detecting “grooming” can solely be successfully undertaken by scanning texts between people. A excessive diploma of human intervention is critical as a result of understanding the context, and whether or not the recipient of the messages is a baby, is crucial.”

‘EU would develop into a world chief in generalised surveillance’

Interinstitutional negotiations on these proposals are prone to focus closely on these two points. 

German MEP and civil rights activist Dr. Patrick Breyer (Pirate Occasion) has decried the laws as a “mass surveillance plan” and a “spying assault on our personal messages and photographs by error-prone algorithms” which he described as “a large step in the direction of a Chinese language-style surveillance state.”

“Organised youngster porn rings don’t use e-mail or messenger companies, however darknet boards. With its plans to interrupt safe encryption, the EU Fee is placing the general safety of our personal communications and public networks, commerce secrets and techniques and state secrets and techniques in danger to please short-term surveillance wishes. Opening the door to overseas intelligence companies and hackers is totally irresponsible,” he added in an announcement. 

He argued to Euronews that “on the subject of personal communications, it have to be restricted to suspects and require a judicial order” and flagged that “the hash database [in which known child abuse material is stored] presently used for matching is so flawed that as much as 86% of reviews usually are not even criminally related.”

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A collective of 35 civil society organisations had already urged the Fee, again in March, when the proposal was initially meant to be unveiled earlier than being twice-delayed, to “make sure that folks’s personal communications don’t develop into collateral harm”.

The European Digital Rights (EDRi), one of many signatories of the assertion, added that “this legislation would make the EU a world chief within the generalised surveillance of complete populations”. Additionally they emitted doubt as as to if it could really make a lot of a distinction in tackling the dissemination of kid abuse materials. 

“Actual criminals can simply circumvent this laws by simply shifting to self-hosted messengers, the darkish net or different jurisdiction,” Thomas Lohninger, Government Director of epicenter.works and Vice-President of EDRi, informed Euronews on Wednesday.

“The one ones whose messages will ultimately be surveilled are regular European residents, journalists, medical doctors, legal professionals and whistleblowers. If this proposal goes via, the times through which the EU was main on knowledge safety are over,” he added. 

Europe is CSAM hub

The Fee has sought to brush apart these considerations. Commissioner for House Affairs Ylva Johansson argued to Euronews that the bloc’s government has “listened to these considerations” round privateness.

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“We’ve got arrange each clear safeguards,” she stated in order that “detection will solely be allowed when there’s a detection order, and there must be a previous session with the info safety authorities”.

In its communication, the Fee additionally stated that it is intently working with trade, civil society organisations, and academia to “assist analysis that identifies technical options to scale up and feasibly and lawfully be carried out by firms to detect youngster sexual abuse in end-to-end encrypted digital communications in full respect of basic rights.”

Time is now of the essence for the EU establishments to search out compromises as a brief legislation permitting tech firms to voluntarily scan their customers’ content material to report CSAM is because of expire in six months. Failure to strike a deal would imply on-line platforms would not have a authorized foundation to hold out this work and should select to cease quite than threat being uncovered to authorized proceedings. 

Based on a report back to the Inner Watch Basis’s annual report, revealed final month, there have been 252,194 URLs (webpages) confirmed final yr as containing youngster sexual abuse imagery having hyperlinks to the imagery or promoting it — 64% enhance from 2020.

The European area accounted for 72% of the reviews assessed by the NGO.

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What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry

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What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry

BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company.

Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry.

An industry shakeup

The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China’s BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.

Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

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Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.

A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan’s market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany’s Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

What would Honda need from Nissan?

Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn’t have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.

Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

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“Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn’t currently play,” that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.

While Nissan’s electric Leaf and Ariya haven’t sold well in the U.S., they’re solid vehicles, Fiorani said. “They haven’t been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology,” he said. “They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation.”

Why now?

Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s credit outlook to “negative,” citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

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Nissan’s share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector.

The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.

More headwinds

Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.

All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.

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Meanwhile, analysts say there is an “affordability shift” taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that’s forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.

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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit.

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US military conducts successful airstrikes on Houthi rebel forces in Yemen

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US military conducts successful airstrikes on Houthi rebel forces in Yemen

The U.S. military confirmed it conducted airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targeted a missile storage site and a command-and-control center operated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the successful strikes in a release Saturday, saying they were meant to “disrupt and degrade” Houthi operations.

“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said in a news release.

DISAPPROVAL MOUNTS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AS US AVOIDS DIRECT ACTION AGAINST HOUTHI REBELS

The U.S. military successfully conducted airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targeted a missile storage site and a command-and-control site operated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. (CENTCOM via X)

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Footage from CENTCOM showed F/A-18’s taking off. The agency said it also used assets from the Navy and the Air Force.

US NAVY SHIPS REPEL ATTACK FROM HOUTHIS IN GULF OF ADEN 

“The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners and international shipping,” it said.

Houthi rebels

Houthi followers burn the Israeli and American flags on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

The attacks against shipping are ongoing, and Houthi militants have vowed to continue until Israel ends its campaign in Gaza.

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The terrorist group has targeted more than 100 merchant vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

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Fact check: How deadly was 2024 for journalists?

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Fact check: How deadly was 2024 for journalists?

An estimated 104 journalists lost their lives in 2024, with Palestine the most dangerous territory.

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An estimated 104 journalists were killed worldwide over the past year, according to data shared earlier this month by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Another report by NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) puts the figure at 54, but its methodology means it only includes killings that are considered “directly related” to journalists’ professional activity.

Both organisations say that Palestine is the deadliest place on earth for journalists. More than half (55) of the 104 killings reported by IFJ were Palestinian media professionals in Gaza, while a further six were killed in Lebanon.

At least 138 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on 7 October 2023, making the country one of the “most dangerous in the history of modern journalism, behind Iraq, the Philippines and Mexico,” according to the IFJ.

Reporters without Borders has described the number of killings in Gaza as “an unprecedented bloodbath”.

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Israel firmly denies it has intentionally targeted any journalists, but has recognised some that have been killed in its airstrikes on Gaza.

The 104 total killings reported by the IFJ is a slight decrease on the 129 they reported on in 2023, which is considered the bloodiest year for journalists since 1990.

How do other world regions fare?

Asia Pacific is the world’s second most dangerous region for journalists, after the Middle East, according to the IFJ.

It recorded 20 deaths in the region in 2024, of which 70% happened in the southern Asian countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

The region has seen an “upsurge” in violence, according to the IFJ, with deaths increasing sharply from the 12 recorded in 2023.

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Africa was the third most dangerous region for journalists at eight deaths, five of them in war-torn Sudan.

The number of journalists killed in south, central and north America has dropped sharply over the past two years, from 30 in 2022 to six in 2023, and another six in 2024. Mexico, considered to be one of the deadliest places in the world to do journalism, continues to see “threats, intimidation, kidnappings and murders” against journalists, particularly due to reporting on drug trafficking.

Number of journalists behind bars on the rise

According to IFJ estimates on 10 December, there were 520 journalists in prison across the world, considerably more than in 2023 (427) and 2022 (375).

China, including Hong Kong, accounts for most of journalists behind bars, followed by Israel and Myanmar.

The IFJ says the figures show how “fragile” the independent press is and how “risky and dangerous” the profession of journalism has become.

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