EU proposes law to scan messages in messengers

The EU plans to start scanning private chats — including encrypted ones — from October 2025. Experts warn of serious privacy risks.

The European Union plans to introduce new digital control regulations that will allow automatic scanning of message content in messengers — including encrypted chats. The draft law, known as Chat Control 2.0, could come into force as early as October 2025.

According to the proposal, operators of platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and others will be required to implement client-side scanning technologies to detect materials related to child sexual abuse (CSAM). This means that users’ messages will be analyzed before sending — even if they are protected by end-to-end encryption.

The project is part of a broader strategy called ProtectEU, aimed at granting law enforcement agencies access to encrypted data by 2030.

However, experts and human rights advocates warn that the new measures could undermine digital privacy and create security risks for all users. Mass scanning of personal communications may violate the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the principles of digital freedom enshrined in EU law.

Human rights organizations argue that an attempt to solve one problem may lead to a much greater one: the creation of a mass digital surveillance system that threatens fundamental civil liberties.