The European Parliament has once again permitted the monitoring of private messages under the so-called ‘Chatkontrolle’. This decision followed a shift in the discussions surrounding the issue, as the Parliament approved a proposal from the Council of Member States during a tumultuous vote.
Companies such as Meta, Microsoft, Google, and others will soon be able to search for evidence of child sexual abuse in private chats. At the same time, lawmakers voted to protect encrypted communications, such as those on Signal and WhatsApp. A majority of lawmakers opposed this plan more than three months ago.
The temporary provision that was adopted is set to remain in effect until April 2028. However, before it can take effect, the European Commission must express its stance on the Parliament’s proposals, and the Council of Member States must give its final approval.
History and controversies around ‘Chatkontrolle’
An exception to European data protection laws was introduced back in 2021, allowing messaging services to scan private chats to combat child abuse. This temporary provision has been extended several times while work continues on a permanent regulation that was intended to have a broader scope. Complex negotiations on this permanent solution are still ongoing between the European Parliament and the Council of Member States, with the next round of talks scheduled for September.
Particular controversy surrounds the so-called ‘client-side scanning’. According to the proposals, providers like WhatsApp and Signal would be required to check chats directly on users’ devices, potentially bypassing message encryption during transmission. Supporters have framed this extension as the only alternative, but it has faced significant pushback. For instance, Meredith Whittaker, head of the Signal app, known for its strong data privacy measures, threatened to exit the European market. As a result of heated debates, the Parliament rejected the extension in March, which ultimately ended the exception’s validity in April 2026.
Arguments ‘for’ and ‘against’
The issue is highly contentious within the European Parliament and among various parliamentary factions. Many proponents of the transitional decision argue that without this exception, children’s safety would be jeopardized, though they do not provide substantial evidence to back their claims. The portal Netzpolitik.org reported that even after the exception lapsed, thousands of messages continued to be received by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). A spokesperson for the agency told SPIEGEL: ‘There are fears that without legal regulation, the number of messages will decrease.’
Conversely, many opponents of the so-called ‘Chatkontrolle’ contend that it will lead to unchecked mass surveillance, despite the fact that this did not occur during the nearly five years since the exception was first implemented. The reinstatement of the temporary provision has faced opposition from the Greens, Left, and AfD (Alternative for Germany).
Source: Der Spiegel
