EU Parliament Greenlights Chat Control 1.0 — Mass Scanning Passes Despite Majority Opposition

The European Parliament allowed suspicionless mass scanning of private communications to continue until 2028, overriding the will of a majority of voting MEPs due to an absolute majority threshold.

The European Parliament has greenlit "Chat Control 1.0," an interim regulation permitting suspicionless mass scanning of private communications — including photos, videos, and links shared in messaging apps. The measure passed on July 9 despite more MEPs voting against it (314) than in favor (276), because the motion to reject fell short of the required absolute majority of 361 votes.

The vote marks a significant reversal from March 2026, when Parliament twice rejected similar measures. A symbolic exemption for encrypted communications was adopted, though in practice service providers do not scan end-to-end encrypted messages anyway. An amendment to restrict scanning strictly to suspects identified by the judiciary also failed — passing 322 to 255 but again missing the absolute majority threshold.

Former MEP and civil rights advocate Patrick Breyer called the outcome "a farce that damages democracy." He warned the passage of this interim measure jeopardizes meaningful, permanent child protection legislation: "The Council will never agree to a desperately needed paradigm shift as long as they can simply stick to the old approach of suspicionless scanning."

The interim regulation permits mass scanning until 2028. The political battle now shifts to "Chat Control 2.0" — the permanent regulation — where Breyer and privacy advocates expect an even tougher fight. The strong opposition in Parliament suggests the permanent version faces an uncertain path.

Sources: Patrick Breyer, Hacker News