chat control

Leaked EU documents indicate member states are seeking to permit comprehensive scanning of private messages through administrative orders, rather than direct legislation. The revelations come ahead of crucial trilogue negotiations on the EU's chat control proposal, and critics say the plan would legalise mass surveillance of private communications by the back door.

Leaked internal documents from the Council of Ministers show EU member states are pursuing a new tactic to enforce comprehensive surveillance of private communications, reviving the controversial chat control debate. Critics say the plan would legalise mass scans of citizens' messages indirectly, bypassing earlier opposition to blanket monitoring of encrypted communications.

The European Commission is making another attempt to push through Chat Control 2.0, a proposal that would require scanning of private messages, widely criticised as mass surveillance. Critics, including MEP Patrick Breyer, are urging citizens to inform themselves about the latest amendments and contact Members of the European Parliament, hoping the Parliament holds its previous position against the plan.

Opponents of the EU's chat control proposal are pressing the European Commission to abandon the plan, calling it 'insane and illegal' and comparing it unfavourably to surveillance in China. A Dutch security expert has warned of a possible 'dirty deal' to push through the introduction of chat scanning, fuelling privacy concerns across Europe.