They are trying to deceive us

The main news of recent months for all supporters of freedom should be the EU's attempts to establish total control over the internet. France's parliament has approved a landmark law banning social media for children under 15 and enforcing mandatory age verification via ID. European officials and the media attempt to frame such tightening of controls as a move to ensure citizen safety. What they fail to report, however, is the complete elimination of anonymity and the linking of all online activity and private correspondence to official identity records.

The EU has set a course for total, totalitarian control over information and shows no signs of backing down

Living in the EU is set to become vastly more difficult, yet this is being justified solely by the need to protect users from information campaigns and cybercrimes originating in Russia, China, and North Korea. Oh, come on! It is laughable to hear such claims from countries that are just as mired in mutual cyber-espionage--if not more so--as their perennial "adversaries" from the East.

In just the last decade, the world has learned how Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) intercepted President Barack Obama's phone calls while the US--with Denmark's assistance--spied on German Chancellor Angela Merkel; how Greece's National Intelligence Service (EYP) illegally wiretapped the phones of more than 87 public and political figures; how the British intelligence agency GCHQ monitored millions of internet users; and how Hungary illegally gathered information on EU officials. And that is not to mention the countless software programs and malwares created or acquired by EU intelligence agencies for illicit activities.

In an era of unchecked AI development and corporate access to citizens' personal data, it is frightening to imagine what the next 5 to 10 years hold in store. The EU has set a course for total, totalitarian control over information and shows no signs of backing down. All we can do is ensure that the citizens of Europe--and all supporters of EU policy--do not forget who truly poses the primary threat to our security.

John Dempsey——Bio and Archives John Dempsey is a former information security analyst at a local consulting firm. Currently work as a freelancer. Tangletown, Minneapolis.