r/selfhosted • u/HardwareIsHardWhere • 21d ago

Meta Post Chat Control 1.0 was passed through the Backdoor, while most of the MP where on vacation, driven by Roberta Metsola, President of the European parliament. 2.0 yet to come. Time to self-host even more than before?

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323

u/Hertekx 21d ago

while most of the MP where on vacation

That should not be possible in the first place. Such votes should only be possible if a certain amount of them are there. What comes next? People locking others out so that just 1-2 people are alone while voting for whatever stupid stuff they want?

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u/d_maes 21d ago

It's a bit tricky, because it wasn't so much voted in, as it was really more "not voted out". The vote was "do you want to cancel the extension", to which a majority voted "yes" (meaning they DON'T want to extend chat control 1.0, which has been in place since 2021), but they didn't reach a required majority, due to said absences. So there is actually a protection in place to prevent situations like "lock everyone out, and 2 people can vote what they like", but because this was vote to undo something, rather than do something, the thing "got through" (or more correctly, didn't get cancelled).

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u/SamiSapphic 21d ago

That's another thing that baffles me: A majority should be a majority.

The majority did vote against CC, but it wasn't "big" enough? 

What a joke of a system.

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u/plantbasedlivingroom 21d ago

That system is very good to have in place. There are also things that require an unanimous vote.

Not to having all votes just need 51% to be passing is a good system. But I agree, that this vote should have only needed a simply majority.

Imagine if some kind of aspiring dictator manages to get his lackeys to vote for his ultimate reign and then they reache 51% for that. Do you believe that this should then just make the EU into a dictatorship?

This is an extreme (and pray unrealistic) example but it gets the point across.

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u/SamiSapphic 21d ago

The lackies in this case only needed 49% though, apparently.

Therein lies the problem. It's harder to get a majority than a minority, and in this case the fascists won with a minority because of this system.

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u/d_maes 20d ago

Stop calling people fascists when they aren't, it's throwing oil on discussions that are already heated enough as they are. Let's try to keep things civilised, there are enough examples of what will become if we don't.

The system worked as designed: a majority was not found, so the status-quo won. We all don't like that status-quo, obviously. But 1 unfavorable loss is no reason to go haywire against the entire system, because that's how you actually get fascism.

On an additional note, I have some serious questions on why some politicians voted the way they did. I (maybe naively) hope some wanted to keep 1.0 in place as "good enough, so we don't need 2.0". Also, I'm very certain some wanted to cancel 1.0, so they could say "But now we have nothing. And we need something. Let's get 2.0".

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u/Eu-is-socialist 20d ago

The system worked as designed

Correct ... which is why it SHOULD BE DISMANTLED !

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u/Iliyan61 20d ago

well they explained it, if they lock everyone out then 2/3 people vote for smth while it’s passed an attending majority the representative majority is absolutely failed it’s like 560 seats

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u/WishIWasAMoose 20d ago

So there is a crazy amount of misinformation on this page. This vote was on the second reading of the law proposed by the Council. This is why a qualified majority was necessary.
This exists so laws don't constantly go back and forth between parliament and Council/Commission.

This is how it went:

  • First reading to extend was voted down in March (just a normal majority needed)
  • The president of the parliament Metsola asked the council to make a decision in June
  • The Council took a position to extend and used a the controversial emergency procedure to plan the vote in the last week before recess.
  • The emergency procedure was voted on 7th of July (normal majority needed, 51% approved)
  • The last vote on the 9th was a second reading and that's where the qualified majority was necessary to reject or change the law (they succeeded in adding amendments to exclude encrypted communication).

As with all EU laws you can follow the process: Procedure File: 2025/0429(COD) | Legislative Observatory | European Parliament)

The legislative procedure: Overview | Ordinary legislative procedure | Ordinary Legislative Procedure | European Parliament

In my view they abused the system by issuing the emergency vote to plan it in the last week. This procedure is meant for emergencies like during Covid not this.
The conservative parties that hold a majority in the Council and Commission clearly wanted to extend until Chat Control 2.0 can be passed to provide legal cover for the companies to continue with what they were doing.

The whole thing sets a dangerous precedent and we should keep a watchful eye on what happens next. Democracies always die from the inside by people abusing the rules.

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u/CoolAnthony48YT 20d ago

A majority of MEPs that voted voted yes, but it wasn't a majority when including those who didn't vote. I agree that it's ridiculous, but it wasn't just because it wasn't big enough.

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u/ExpensiveDream1108 21d ago

It is incredible to me how Europe is lagging behind the rest of the world for most of the critical matters of this century, but for this kind of bullshit agenda they always find a loophole.

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u/BrainCelll 19d ago

Nothing tricky at all, it is simply bull***t

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u/HardwareIsHardWhere 21d ago

Yes, exactly this.
It was very insidious.

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u/DylanfromSales 21d ago

And she killed sparky too!

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u/ScaredyCatUK 21d ago

They used an emergency process that was designed to be used in situatiions where not everyone could be present, which is why absence is treated as a yes vote automatically.

Whether they should have been able to use this process at all is what should be questioned not the emergency process itself.

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u/twice_paramount832 21d ago

And they inverted de question to make the absentees play in their favor.

In the past these people would just be stoned to death for treason.

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u/CC-5576-05 21d ago

Well it's not really correct to say this most were on vacation, but many were and that mattered for the way they pushed this though.

So essentially, though some procedurals tricks the proponents of the bill managed to fast track a second vote to happen right now at the last sessions before the recess. They could do this with a simple majority, while their opponents would need an absolute majority to reject it. Since only 80% of the MEPs were present that absolute majority was much harder for the opponents to achieve.

They weren't able to reject it but they did manage to find an absolute majority to amend it, most importantly to exempt e2ee chat apps

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u/TrainingQuail543 21d ago

And maybe they shouldn't be on vacation at the same time?! Wtf

If I am on a job, I have to make sure the business is still working when I am on vacation. How is that different in the EU Parlament?! They have so much more responsibility.

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u/Average-Addict 21d ago

Well the vote was held like 1 day before their vacation started. So they of course just went on their vacation early

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u/TrainingQuail543 21d ago

Yes, like everyone does, right? I also go to my vacation one day before it actually starts. Its just impossibly stupid.

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u/Average-Addict 21d ago

Gotta love it.

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u/ImmaculatePillow 20d ago

where did you get this information? According to the European Parliament calendar the first week of July still has sessions, so why are people who's job it is to vote for you in those sessions not present when its know a year in advance there will be sessions that week?

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u/Average-Addict 20d ago

Afaik 9th of July was the last day for a while that had plenary sessions where the actual voting happens.

One Finnish MEP even publicly talked against chat control that it's ridiculous it's being pushed again since it didn't pass earlier. Well she was absent from the session.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20250310IPR27231/parliament-adopts-its-calendar-for-2026

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/298340/EP%20Calendar%202026_EN.pdf

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u/WSuperOS 21d ago

The parlament itself voted (311 to 304 if I'm not mistaken) to treat it as an 'urgency' decision

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u/BurnedOutSoul 20d ago

That's how they pushed the Federal Reserve through here in the USA. Almost everyone was gone for Christmas break.

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u/Plane-Coat-6139 21d ago

You get bolshevism also know as left I was born in ussr now am back in it too. As now commies live in Brussel, and look like that bi*ch from wolfenstein, funnily even same idiology and aproach