End of “Chat Control”: EU Parliament Stops Mass Surveillance in Voting Thriller – Paving the Way for Genuine Child Protection!

The EU Parliament has voted to let the controversial Chat Control interim regulation expire on 4 April, ending the mass scanning of private messages by US tech companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft. The vote passed by a single vote margin after conservative forces attempted a procedural repeat vote. The author, former MEP Patrick Breyer, argues this clears the path for genuine child protection through targeted surveillance with judicial warrants, proactive takedown of illegal material, and security-by-design app requirements. A newly published study found the PhotoDNA algorithm used for scanning is unreliable and easily circumvented. Key statistics cited: 48% of disclosed chats were criminally irrelevant, 40% of German investigations targeted minors for consensual sexting, and reports dropped 50% since 2022 due to encryption adoption. The fight continues as trilogue negotiations on a permanent Chat Control 2.0 regulation and mandatory age verification for messengers remain ongoing.