European Parliament approves \'chat control\' bill, exempting end-to-end encryption until 2028

The European Parliament voted to promote part of the \"chat control\" mechanism that allows technology companies to scan messages until 2028.

The European Parliament voted to promote part of the EU\'s \"chat control\" system that allows technology companies to scan messages to find child sexual abuse material, a permission that is valid until 2028. The measure-widely criticized by privacy and cryptography advocates-was scheduled to expire in April this year, forcing lawmakers to decide whether to extend it. Although most MPs support the plan, the final result is subtly influenced by parliamentary procedures. According to HowTheyVote statistics, 276 lawmakers supported the extension to avoid being vetoed, while 314 lawmakers voted against the extension. Since the veto threshold required 361 votes, the rule was advanced due to failure to obtain enough opposition votes.

Key Points

-Parliament\'s vote restores the expired \"Chat Control 1.0\" framework and extends scanning rights until 2028.

-Parliament has approved an exemption clause excluding communications that have used or will use end-to-end encryption from the relevant rules.

-As the regulation is now submitted to the Council of the European Union, final implementation depends on the ministers of each member state.

-Negotiations on permanent \"Chat Control 2.0\" will resume in September, and encryption and scanning scope will remain at the core of the controversy.

What Parliament approved-and what it tried to restrict

European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday with a majority to extend the \"chat control\" rule, often viewed by critics as a form of mass surveillance. The mechanism allows certain forms of message scanning and is designed to detect child sexual abuse material. Proponents believe this goal is crucial to protecting children and halting the spread of abusive content. However, Parliament also approved an exemption clause aimed at protecting encryption. Based on the exemption text cited in the material passed by Parliament (see TA-10-2026-0266_EN), the decision excludes \"communications for which end-to-end encryption has been applied, is being applied, or will be applied.\" For strong encryption advocates, this is seen as a meaningful restriction-although it does not end the broader scanning framework.

Markeita Gregorova, a MEP from the Pirates Party who pushed for the amendment, called the result a \"bittersweet victory.\" In comments quoted by the Green Party/European Freedom Union, she said the amendment received an \"absolute majority\" in support of protecting encryption, while \"voluntary mass scanning unfortunately passed.\"

Why this vote is critical to message encryption and compliance

The controversy surrounding \"chat control\" stems from its interaction with cryptographic design. Encryption-especially end-to-end encryption-prevents service providers from reading message content. Critics argue that forcing or inciting scanning undermines this core security principle, even when applied in strictly limited circumstances. Even with the end-to-end encryption exemption, Parliament\'s action moves EU compliance towards detection mechanisms that may require platforms to change the way they report, detect and manage risks. For developers and infrastructure teams, the direct relevance is not just legal compliance, but also how the system architecture distinguishes encrypted traffic from other forms of communication and how to implement detection workflows without compromising privacy guarantees.

For users, the actual impact is uncertain: the measure has been submitted to the Council and the final shape will depend on how member states interpret and negotiate the text. Still, the policy direction-extending scanning powers until 2028-suggests that the EU has not abandoned its core approach.

How to Extend \"Chat Control 1.0\" after it expires in April

Thursday\'s vote was part of a process triggered after the framework expired in April. As the rules expire, messaging services such as WhatsApp are allowed to adopt their own voluntary methods to identify and respond to the sharing of abusive material, rather than being bound by a unified EU framework. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Parliament used a rare emergency procedure to reconsider whether to extend the legal basis. Previously, in March, Parliament vetoed a temporary extension and was discussing a permanent \"Chat Control 2.0\" proposal. In March, Parliament\'s largest political group, the European People\'s Party, was opposed over its amendment that could limit the scope of scanning. However, in an emergency procedural vote on Tuesday, the group renewed its push for the extension.

Internal political dynamics reflect greater divisions in Parliament: Despite strong resistance to extending the plan without modification, the voting threshold means the final outcome still favors continuing the framework.

Next step: Council reviews resumption of talks with \"Chat Control 2.0\"

After approval on Thursday, legislation with amendments will be sent back to the Council of the European Union. The council, composed of ministers from member states, must decide to ratify or reject the text, which means that the extension has not yet been fully determined until negotiations are completed. In the meantime, the struggle is expected to continue. Earlier reports pointed out that the political conflict over permanent \"chat control 2.0\" has just begun. As negotiations resumed in September, lawmakers were reportedly divided over whether scanning should target a specific scope or apply broadly.

For the crypto world and privacy-conscious communities, the key uncertainty lies in how negotiators reconcile two competing goals: child safety and the preservation of message privacy at the protocol level. The end-to-end encryption exemption is a significant development, but the fact that voluntary mass scanning still passes procedural obstacles suggests that subsequent rounds may once again reshape the balance between compliance and encryption protection.

Readers should pay close attention to the board\'s position and September negotiations, as the final design of \"Chat Control 2.0\" will determine whether encryption exemptions still make sense in practice-or whether the scope of scanning will be expanded again in final implementation.