How Will The New Chat Control Affect Your Privacy Rights?

Is Chat Control law in the EU as of August 2025?

No. The “Chat Control” (CSA) proposal is not in force as of August 2025. It’s still moving through negotiations and needs support from key member states before any final vote. Track developments in our monthly status update.

What is the EU Chat Control proposal?

It would allow authorities to issue detection orders to messaging and hosting services to find and report certain illegal material. Depending on the final text, that could include client‑side scanning (on your device) or scanning after decryption—both controversial with privacy advocates. See our previous explainer.

Does Chat Control break end‑to‑end encryption (E2EE)?

It can undermine E2EE in practice. If scanning happens before encryption (on-device) or after decryption, message confidentiality is weakened—even if companies avoid the word “backdoor.”

Will the EU require client‑side scanning on my phone?

Some drafts enable on‑device scanning to detect prohibited content. Proponents say it’s targeted; critics warn it normalizes inspection of private communications and creates false positives at scale.

What’s the current Chat Control timeline and next votes?

Negotiations continue in the Council. A decision depends on a qualified majority of member states. If a deal is struck, Parliament still reviews the final text, and any real‑world changes would then roll out over years.

Which EU countries support or oppose Chat Control?

Positions shift. Broadly, law‑enforcement‑focused states lean supportive; privacy‑forward states and some large members remain hesitant. A few big countries can make or break the arithmetic—watch Germany and its allies. We summarize the month’s lineup in the status tracker.

How would WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and others be affected?

Providers facing detection orders would need to detect and report flagged content or risk penalties. Some have signaled they could limit features or geofence changes rather than weaken E2EE for everyone.

Is there a child‑safety alternative that protects privacy?

Yes—prioritize opt‑in safety features, faster takedowns, targeted network disruption (metadata‑based), age‑appropriate tools, and properly resourced investigations, without mandatory scanning of private E2EE content.

What can EU citizens do about Chat Control right now?

• Follow the month‑by‑month votes: status update.
• Contact national ministers/MEPs; public pressure matters in swing states.
• Use up‑to‑date private messengers and secure your devices.

Key terms explained: detection orders, risk assessments, client‑side scanning

• Detection order: Legal order to find and report specified content.
• Risk assessment: Service must evaluate likelihood of prohibited content on its platform.
• Client‑side scanning: On‑device analysis of content before encryption is applied.

Further reading from Fix‑EU

• EU Chat Control Proposal: Status Update (August 2025) — votes, countries, road ahead.
• Chat Control: Why the EU Wants to Scan Everyone’s Messages — the explainer.

Sources

• EU Council — Negotiation updates
• European Parliament — Dossiers
• European Commission — Proposal background

We’ll update this page as negotiations move. See the status tracker for month‑by‑month detail.