The European Union Council received a revised Child Sexual Abuse Regulation proposal that shifts mandatory content scanning to a voluntary model, with limited exceptions for high‑risk services. While the change garnered broad support among lawmakers, privacy advocates, including digital‑rights jurist Patrick Breyer and encrypted‑email provider Tuta, warn that loopholes could undermine the voluntary nature and threaten encryption. The debate continues as member states that previously opposed indiscriminate scanning watch the next steps closely. Read more →

More than 40 European technology firms, including VPN and encrypted messaging providers, have signed an open letter urging EU lawmakers to vote against the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, commonly known as Chat Control. The companies argue that mandatory client‑side scanning of private communications would undermine encryption, weaken digital security and threaten Europe’s digital sovereignty. They warn that the proposal could create backdoors exploitable by governments and malicious actors. German ministries are reportedly meeting to decide the country’s stance, a pivotal factor in the upcoming EU vote. Read more →