The European Union has two proposed Chat Control laws, Chat Control 1.0 and Chat Control 2.0, which are moving through EU institutions in parallel [1]. This has led to contradictory news, with one Chat Control being 'stopped' in March 2026, while another is still being negotiated [2]. Chat Control 1.0, a temporary regulation, grants tech companies an exemption to EU privacy rules to voluntarily scan private messages for child sexual abuse materials [3]. However, this regulation expired in April 2026 and was reinstated on July 9, 2026, through an unprecedented revival [4].

On the other hand, Chat Control 2.0, a proposed bill, would make it mandatory to scan messages, even if they were encrypted [5]. This proposal has been rejected multiple times and is nowhere near becoming law [6]. The EU Commission proposed Chat Control 2.0 to oblige providers to search all private chats, messages, and emails automatically for suspicious content [7]. The negotiating mandate of the Council (EU governments) has included minor statements about protecting privacy and end-to-end encryption, but no technical debate about how to align the goals of Chat Control and end-to-end encryption in practice [8].

The President of the Open Dialogue Foundation commented that the vote on Chat Control 1.0 should be viewed in a broader context of erosion of privacy in the EU [9]. In conclusion, the EU's proposed Chat Control laws have significant implications on private communications, and it is essential to understand the differences between Chat Control 1.0 and 2.0.

Sources

  1. https://fightchatcontrol.eu/chat-control-overview.html
  2. https://www.reddit.com/r/europeanunion/comments/1uts7ji/what_is_chat_control_an_explainer/
  3. https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control
  4. https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/07/10/chat-control-10-passed-the-european-parliament-through-the-back-door
  5. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48818311
  6. https://fightchatcontrol.eu/chat-control-overview.html
  7. https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control
  8. https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/07/10/chat-control-10-passed-the-european-parliament-through-the-back-door
  9. https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/07/10/chat-control-10-passed-the-european-parliament-through-the-back-door