EU’s New Chat Surveillance Proposal Raises Privacy Concerns

The European Union is currently discussing the extent to which online platforms should be permitted to monitor private messages and chats.

Earlier this month, Members of the European Parliament voted to extend the Chat Control 1.0 regulation through April 2028. Originally enacted in 2021, the rule permits platforms to voluntarily inspect private messages and emails, though it excludes end‑to‑end encrypted services such as WhatsApp and Signal, where only the communicating parties can access the content.

Chat control constitutes an exception to the EU’s e‑Privacy Directive, which safeguards private online activity and communications. Its implementation mandates user consent prior to any access, monitoring, or utilization of such data.

The objective is to shield children from the growing volume of online sexual abuse material and to employ more effective tools for detecting content that might otherwise go unnoticed. The European Commission notes a sharp rise in reports of child sexual abuse, climbing from one million in 2010 to more than 23 million in 2025, encompassing 61.8 million files — 29.4 million images and 26.3 million videos.

A more substantial reform is already under discussion: negotiators are drafting Chat Control 2.0, which would require all online platforms, even those offering end‑to‑end encryption, to scan private digital conversations. Such scanning would contravene users’ data‑privacy rights and breach EU legislation, including the e‑Privacy Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation.

While co‑legislators have not yet reached consensus on these stricter provisions, negotiations are scheduled to resume in September.

For further insight into how Chat Control may affect messaging practices, readers can consult the Euronews AI chatbot.

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