magine every message you send, WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger, even private email, being scanned before it is encrypted, that is exactly what Chat Control 2025 aims to put in place. Officially known as the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR), the proposal was introduced by the European Commission in May 2022 as part of its child protection strategy (European Commission). However, critics warn that the required client-side scanning would undermine encryption and open the door to mass surveillance.
Meanwhile, with the decisive vote set for 14 October 2025, the debate is fierce: 15 EU countries back the plan, 6 openly oppose it, and 7 remain undecided. From France to Germany to Belgium, the future of digital privacy in Europe could reshape global standards. This debate is not only about regulation. It is about the kind of internet Europe will build: one based on trust and privacy, or one dominated by surveillance.
Kids deserve a future where they aren’t punished for things they said when they were 13.
But we’re building a world where nothing is forgotten.
This is why privacy matters.— Naomi Brockwell priv/acc (@naomibrockwell) August 10, 2025
What is Chat Control 2025?
The CSAR regulation, better known as “Chat Control”, is officially presented as a child protection measure. At its core, it forces platforms to implement client-side scanning, a system that scans all communications on the device before encryption.
👉 This means no message, photo, or file would be truly private.
👉 Even secure apps such as Signal, Proton, or WhatsApp would have to build surveillance tools into their code.
Explainer Box: How Does Chat Control Work?
1. The official goal
- Messaging services across the EU would be required to scan all private content.
- Specifically, the declared purpose: identify and block child abuse material.
2. The mechanism – client-side scanning
- Scanning happens before encryption is applied.
- In practice, your phone or computer runs algorithms on every text, photo, or file.
- If the system flags content as ‘suspicious,’ it sends an alert to a central authority.
3. Direct consequences
- Scanning would strip private chats of their confidentiality.
- Even apps built on strong encryption would be forced to create backdoors.
- Experts expect millions of false positives: the system may misclassify family photos, jokes, or harmless conversations.
4. The broader risk
-
Breaking end-to-end encryption weakens all digital security, including:
-
personal messaging
-
online banking
-
medical data
-
business communications
-
This erosion of privacy is part of a broader assault on digital sovereignty and user control, as we explore in our article on What Digital Sovereignty Means and Why It Matters
If accepted, Chat Control could shift the very architecture of the internet, from an open, secure network into a system of pre-emptive surveillance.
-
Moreover, once introduced, such scanning could easily be expanded to monitor political speech, opinions, or activism.
The Role of Artificial Intelligence
The project relies on client-side scanning. This means no human will read your messages, instead, an AI will automatically scan and filter every photo, text, and video before encryption.
In practice, algorithms will decide which conversations look “suspicious.” But this process is already known to produce countless false positives, misclassifying innocent family photos, private jokes, or harmless chats as criminal content.
By outsourcing surveillance to artificial intelligence, the EU would give algorithms unprecedented power over the privacy of 450 million citizens.
Where Do Things Stand in September 2025?
- ❌ Opposed (6) → 162 MEPs
- ✅ Support (15) → 401 MEPs
- 🤔 Undecided (6) → 172 MEPs
Positions of 🇪🇺 Member States on Chat Control
| Country | Stance | MEPs |
|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇹 Austria | ❌ | 20 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | ❌ | 22 |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | ❌ | 21 |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | ❌ | 15 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | ❌ | 31 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | ❌ | 53 |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | ✅ | 17 |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | ✅ | 12 |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | ✅ | 6 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | ✅ | 15 |
| 🇫🇷 France | ✅ | 81 |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | ✅ | 21 |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | ✅ | 14 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | ✅ | 76 |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | ✅ | 9 |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | ✅ | 11 |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | ✅ | 6 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | ✅ | 21 |
| 🇸🇰 Slovakia | ✅ | 15 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | ✅ | 61 |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | ✅ | 21 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 🤔 | 96 |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | 🤔 | 7 |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 🤔 | 21 |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 🤔 | 6 |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 🤔 | 33 |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 🤔 | 9 |
“MEPs” = Members of the European Parliament
📅 Key dates:
- 12 September 2025: final Council positions
- 14 October 2025: decisive EU vote
A Transatlantic Parallel: FISA and Snowden
The Chat Control debate in Europe mirrors surveillance controversies in the United States. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), first enacted in 1978 after the Watergate scandal, created the legal framework for secret electronic monitoring. Later expansions, especially Section 702 introduced in 2008, allow U.S. agencies to collect vast amounts of communications, including data from non-Americans abroad, without individual warrants.
Section 702 has been renewed several times, most recently in April 2024 through the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act (RISAA), which extends its powers until 2026. Critics argue that this system has normalized permanent mass surveillance under the banner of national security.
The debate also recalls the 2013 Snowden revelations, which showed how the NSA used programs like PRISM to secretly access data from Google, Facebook, Apple, and other tech giants. As we highlighted in our Snowden Movie 2025 Review, cinema continues to shape public awareness of surveillance, warning that what was once hidden in the shadows could now be written directly into law in Europe.
👉 Opponents warn that Chat Control risks becoming Europe’s own PRISM, a law that legalizes mass surveillance instead of concealing it.
Why Chat Control 2025 Faces Major Criticism
Overall, the proposal raises several serious concerns. At stake is the future of the internet itself: whether it remains a decentralized space of free communication, or evolves into a controlled infrastructure where every interaction is monitored.
It reflects a disturbing trend we previously documented in Online Privacy 2025 – Every Click You Make Is Tracked which warns that surveillance is already embedded in our browsers, phones, and even recommendation algorithms.
1. A direct attack on privacy
“The end of digital correspondence privacy.” Patrick Breyer, Pirate Party MEP
However, critics argue that EU Chat Control 2025 violates Article 7 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. (source)
For a broader perspective on how online privacy is evolving, see our article The Future of Online Privacy: Towards a New Paradigm?
2. Massive false positives
In addition, in Germany, 99,375 private conversations were wrongly flagged in 2024. Meanwhile, in Ireland, only 20% of alerts turned out to be valid.
3. A systemic security flaw
Furthermore, by undermining encryption, the law would weaken Europe’s entire digital ecosystem. As a result, a measure intended to protect citizens could instead open the door to cyberattacks.
4. Political maneuvering
For example, some governments wanted Chat Control to be voluntary. The European Parliament said no: either scanning must be mandatory for everyone, or there will be no law at all. Critics call this political blackmail because it forced countries to accept the toughest version. (techradar)
This debate is also part of a larger tension between technological innovation and user rights, which we explored in AI Data Privacy: Balancing Innovation and Consumer Rights
5. Foreign companies and sovereignty risks
If adopted, the law would force global platforms like Meta (WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram), Apple (iMessage), Signal, and Telegram to scan EU citizens’ communications. This means foreign companies would gain direct access to the private conversations of Europeans, raising serious questions about sovereignty and data control.
Why Do Some Countries Say No?
- 🇧🇪 Belgium – described Chat Control as “a monster invading privacy that cannot be tamed.”
- 🇳🇱 The Netherlands – insists on “robust protection of private communications.”
- 🇵🇱 Poland – rejects “measures amounting to mass surveillance.”
- 🇦🇹 Austria – warns that Chat Control violates its constitution and fundamental rights to privacy.
- 🇫🇮 Finland – cannot support the law because mandatory detection orders are “constitutionally problematic.”
- 🇨🇿 Czechia – the Prime Minister announced total opposition, saying the state will not accept “widespread monitoring of citizens’ private digital communications.”
Germany Holds the Key: Chat Control 2025 and the Future of the Internet
As a result, Germany’s undecided stance could determine the outcome.
- A German “no” would reinforce the opposition camp.
- A German “yes” would almost guarantee the adoption of EU Chat Control 2025.
Citizen Mobilization
At the same time, grassroots campaigns such as Fight Chat Control and Chat Control (by Patrick Breyer) and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) like EDRi (European Digital Rights) are urging citizens to contact their MEPs (Member of the European Parliament).
In addition, several petitions are circulating on platforms such as Change.org and CitizenGo, giving ordinary citizens a simple way to express opposition.
On social media, simple but powerful slogans resonate:
- “Don’t scan my phone.”
- “Your chat is not their business.”
👉 For many, this is no longer a technical debate. It has become a question of whether digital democracy and private communication can survive in Europe.
Conclusion
In conclusion,14 October 2025 may mark a turning point for the digital future of Europe and beyond. Lawmakers use the banner of child protection, but they risk normalizing mass surveillance. The outcome of this vote will not only decide one regulation. It will set a precedent for how the next generation of the internet, in Europe and beyond, will function.
The question is simple: Will Europeans accept that an algorithm reads every private message before it is sent?
📢 Make noise with #ChatControl, share this article, spread it everywhere.
🖊️ Sign and share the petitions to show resistance.
👥 Tag your friends so more people understand what’s at stake.
👉 Because tomorrow it won’t just be your chats at risk, it will be the balance between security and freedom worldwide.
FAQ: Chat Control 2025
Does Chat Control 2025 apply across all EU countries?
Yes. If adopted, the regulation would apply uniformly across all 27 EU member states, including France, Germany, and Belgium. National courts could still challenge certain provisions.
Could Chat Control 2025 impact apps like Signal, WhatsApp, or Proton?
Yes. EU law would not ban these apps, but it would force them to integrate client-side scanning, undermining the promise of end-to-end encryption.
Which countries are opposing Chat Control 2025?
Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, the Netherlands, and Poland are leading the opposition. Germany’s position remains decisive.
What are the risks for ordinary users worldwide?
Even outside Europe, global apps may adopt scanning features to comply with EU rules. This could lower privacy standards internationally.
How can citizens and organizations respond?
Campaigns like Fight Chat Control and NGOs such as EDRi provide tools to contact MEPs. Public pressure in Belgium and Germany has already shifted national debates.
