Nation states are the ones asking for stuff like this. The EU commission focuses on objectives set by the heads of the nation states. The elected EU parliament then votes on the proposals.
The bad thing about the EU is that it opens up views like yours, trying to absolve your own nation of any culpability, when that is just not true.
If you don't like the direction of the EU, vote in a government and MEPs who will steer it in a different direction. If enough people do this, then the EU changes, as happens in every democracy.
What you're seeing is simply democracy in action. You think these things are going against the majority, but the reality is, the majority of citizens are ok for this to happen at the nation state level, and by extension at the EU level.
Stop blaming the EU. It is lazy and makes the problem worse. Look closer to home.
No, the institutions of the EU allow nation states to push through unpopular legislation, for which they could be held accountable on a national level. At least to a larger degree.
So in this case it is the fault of the EU as well because its structures allow this to happen.
I prefer battling one national government instead of 27.
The EU certainly isn't democracy in action, on the contrary it is highly technocratic. Without the promised proficiency though.
You're making the mistake that populations don't want this, when it is largely in the realm of HN or reddit or wherever else nerds hang out. Population polls have repeatedly shown that people want age verification checks and are ok with message scanning "to save the children". Lot's of people are ignorant of the stupidity of this stuff, but that is democracy for you.
You're blaming the EU for something that is the fault of our populations, voting in governments who increasingly push these agendas. You're not helping anything by doing that.
No, the population is completely in the dark about it because there is no media reporting on it. A real European media doesn't exist. Only people in tech aligned circles even know about these topics at all.
There are no real polls. Any positive poll asks about protecting kids in a populist way or it is framed as something combatting big tech, which is just as dishonest.
But the real numbers will be in if people don't submit any photos or IDs for some flimsy age verification.
Be that as it may, there are also constitutional protection against surveillance, regardless of popular support, which I argue doesn't exist.
The bad thing about the EU is that it opens up views like yours, trying to absolve your own nation of any culpability, when that is just not true.
If you don't like the direction of the EU, vote in a government and MEPs who will steer it in a different direction. If enough people do this, then the EU changes, as happens in every democracy.
What you're seeing is simply democracy in action. You think these things are going against the majority, but the reality is, the majority of citizens are ok for this to happen at the nation state level, and by extension at the EU level.
Stop blaming the EU. It is lazy and makes the problem worse. Look closer to home.