EU now one step away from reviving private message scanning rules
The European Union is one step closer to reinstating rules that would require the scanning of private messages for illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material. The proposed legislation has raised significant privacy and encryption concerns, as it could undermine end-to-end encryption protections. The next vote will determine whether the measure moves forward.
Background
- The EU is close to reintroducing "client-side scanning" – a proposal that would require messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal to scan users' private messages for illegal content (e.g., child sexual abuse material) before they are encrypted and sent.
- Critics say this would effectively break end-to-end encryption for everyone, because you can't scan encrypted content without either weakening the encryption or scanning it on the user's device before encryption (hence "client-side").
- The proposal technically applies only to images and links, but opponents argue that expanding scanning to other content would be technically trivial, making widespread surveillance possible.
- This idea was previously shelved after massive pushback from privacy advocates, tech companies, and human rights groups, but the current EU Belgian presidency is pushing it forward again.
- A key vote is expected in the European Parliament; if it passes, it would be a historic shift in EU digital privacy policy, affecting hundreds of millions of users.