Chat Control

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In 2021, the EU passed the Regulation (EU) 2021/1232 ("Chat Control 1.0") on a temporary derogation from certain provisions of ePrivacy Directive 2002/58/EC (ePD) allowing providers to scan communications indiscriminately if they choose so.

So far, only unencrypted US communication services make use of these provisions. In March 2026, the European Parliament rejected a second extension of the regulation – the temporary directive provisions expired on the 3rd of April 2026. However Google, Meta, Microsoft and Snap announced that they will continue indiscriminate and warrentless scanning of private messages.

On 11 May 2022 the European Commission presented a proposal ("Chat Control 2.0") which would have made chat control searching mandatory for all e-mail and messenger providers and would even have applied to so far securely end-to-end encrypted communication services. The regulation is expected to be adopted in July 2026, with possible amendments.^{[update needed]}

Chat Control 2.0

The Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse (Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, or CSAR), or most commonly known as Chat Control, is a proposed European Union regulation that aims to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through mass surveillance by digital platforms.

By virtue of the legistation, all platforms would legally be required to surveil all private digital communications, thus nullifying the efficacy of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and violating fundamental rights to privacy.

On February 26, 2026, the first negotiations of Chat Control begun.

Background

The legislation was proposed by the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on 11 May 2022.

Consumer response

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) jointly warned on 29 July 2022 that the proposal may present more risks than benefits.

The EDPB and EDPS consider that the Proposal, in its current form, may present more risks to individuals, and, by extension, to society at large, than to the criminals pursued for CSAM.

Numerous digital rights organizations, including European Digital Rights (EDRi), and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), have criticized the legislation as incompatible with secure encryption and proportionality requirements under EU law.

Critics declare this form of preemptive mass surveillance not only a threat to privacy, (cyber)security and the right to freedom of expression but as danger to democracy in general.

Chat Control is chat surveillance and functions by having access to everything on a device with indiscriminate monitoring of everything.

Many proposals earlier this year required the scanning and detection of illicit content on all services, including private messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal. This requirement would fundamentally break end-to-end encryption.

Academic criticism has also focused on the technical feasibility and constitutional implications of mandatory client-side scanning.

We find that [Client-Side Scanning] CSS is problematic because they can rarely fulfil their purposes, as seen with antivirus software. [...] We also find that CSS in general would likely violate the Right to a Fair Trial, Right to Privacy and Freedom of Expression.

See also

• Fight Chat Control - Protect Digital Privacy in the EU
• Age verification