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2mo ago

European Parliament Revives Chat Control 1.0 and Sends Amended Text to Council

The measure restores a temporary legal basis for voluntary platform scanning for child sexual abuse while adding an explicit exemption for end‑to‑end encryption and triggering a tense review by EU member states.

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BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - JULY 2: Members of the Committee of the Regions atttend a session of the CdR in the hemicycle of the European Parliament on july 2, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. The CoR is the EU's assembly of local and regional representatives that provides advice on proposed legislation affecting regions and cities. Its function is to ensure that the voices of sub-national authorities are heard in EU decision-making and that the principle of subsidiarity is respected, meaning decisions are taken at the most appropriate level, closest to citizens when possible. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
A web camera is seen in front of the displayed words "Child Pornography" in this illustration taken October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Overview

  • The European Parliament voted on July 9, 2026 to adopt an amended position that effectively reinstates the 2021 ePrivacy derogation known as Chat Control 1.0 and forwarded that text to the Council of the European Union for approval.
  • Procedural rules required an absolute majority to reject the Council position so the motion advanced despite 314 MEPs voting against it and 276 in favour, a result critics say reflects an unusual and contested fast‑track process.
  • Parliament added a clear exemption that excludes communications protected by end‑to‑end encryption from the scanning measures, a change supporters say protects secure services and opponents call largely symbolic since encrypted services were not scanning anyway.
  • The Council has three months to accept or reject Parliament’s amendments and if it rejects any the file will enter conciliation, while permanent negotiations on a broader CSAM regulation known as Chat Control 2.0 are set to resume in September 2026.
  • Privacy advocates, security experts and crypto groups warn the revived temporary regime keeps pressure on platforms to scan unencrypted private messages, risks client‑side or device scanning that could expose keys or personal data, and prolongs legal uncertainty for users and developers.