EU to revisit controversial ‘Chat Control’ bill requiring scanning of private messages

Belgium.- The European Union Council will debate the controversial “Chat Control” bill on October 14, a proposal that would require instant messaging platforms to scan users’ private conversations for child sexual abuse material. Introduced in 2022 as the EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSA), the measure aims to combat online exploitation but has sparked widespread criticism over its implications for privacy and freedom of expression.

Activists and digital rights groups warn that the bill’s core mechanism—Client-Side Scanning, which analyzes content directly on users’ devices—amounts to mass surveillance. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) denounced the proposal, stating that it would allow authorities to access private data and effectively eliminate secure end-to-end encryption. Critics argue it could endanger journalists, whistleblowers, and ordinary users, even those simply sharing family photos.

The EFF further cautioned that the regulation would impact global communications, as anyone messaging EU users would also be affected. Signal Foundation president Meredith Whittaker called the plan an “existential threat to privacy”, urging Germany to maintain its opposition. She warned that if forced to implement such surveillance, Signal would withdraw from the EU market, declaring that the law “would effectively end the right to privacy in Europe.”