On July 9, the European Parliament failed to block the extension of the temporary Chat Control regime. A majority of voting members opposed it, but procedural rules allowed the document to pass.
Voluntary scanning of private messages on online platforms is now legal again until April 3, 2028.
Out of 607 MEPs, 314 voted against the extension, 276 in favor, and 17 abstained. A simple majority among those present was insufficient to block it. The document could only be rejected by an absolute majority of the entire parliament—361 votes out of 720.
The reinstated regime is a temporary return to ePrivacy rules, known as Chat Control 1.0. It permits platforms to voluntarily scan unencrypted or server-accessible messages for content related to child sexual abuse material (CSAR).
At the end of June, EU countries supported the extension of the temporary message scanning regime, despite a March "no" from the European Parliament. The initiative was promoted by the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, while activists from Fight Chat Control urged users to complain to their representatives.
Participation in scanning is not mandatory; platforms decide whether to join. When the regime was first adopted in 2021, Google, Meta, and Microsoft quickly signed on. Services that previously operated under this scheme include Gmail, Snapchat, Skype, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Xbox, and Apple’s email services.
WhatsApp and Signal remain outside the regime: end-to-end encryption makes server-side scanning technically impossible. MEPs separately passed an amendment explicitly excluding services with end-to-end encryption from the provisions, but it still needs to be reviewed by the EU Council, which has about three months to do so.
“The fact that Chat Control is being pushed forward against the will of the majority of voting MEPs is a farce and undermines democracy. Our children are the real losers in this undemocratic process. The adoption of a genuine, permanent law for child protection is now under serious threat,” stated human rights advocate and former MEP Patrick Breyer.
Public Opinion
Critics argue not only about privacy but also about the effectiveness of mass scanning. Breyer cites official data claiming that since 2022, reports of alleged abuse have decreased by 50% due to increased use of encryption.
According to the European Commission, only 36% of all abuse reports in 2024 were related to scanning private chats—the rest came from public posts and cloud storage. The Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany believes that 48% of incoming signals lack criminal significance. Additionally, 40% of investigations involve minors themselves, and about 99% of reports from Meta concern already known cases. Breyer notes that authorities have not provided evidence of Chat Control's effectiveness.
A separate block of criticism focuses on the views of those who have experienced sexual violence. Alexander Hanff, a survivor and privacy advocate, stated that confidential communications helped him report the incidents and secure convictions against several offenders.
Marcel Schneider, who is suing Meta over voluntary Chat Control, believes that mass corporate surveillance does not prevent violence, and real protection requires removing materials at the source, proactive police work in the dark web, and secure app architecture.
The latest vote pertains only to the temporary version of the law. The main conflict is shifting towards a permanent CSAR regulation, which critics refer to as Chat Control 2.0.
It is worth noting that in June, the UK government announced plans to impose restrictions on social media use for citizens under 16 years old.