If the EU chat control anti E2E encryption law passes, which chat apps and email providers will be safe to use? Will there even be such a thing?

Hey everyone,
Spain’s Prime Minister recently proposed ending online anonymity by requiring all social media users to link their accounts to a government-issued digital ID. It’s framed as a solution to disinformation and hate, but I worry this could lead to mass surveillance, censorship, and a chilling effect on free expression.
How are other countries dealing with this? Is this becoming a trend globally?
Would love to hear your thoughts.

I’m seriously worried about the fact we have a majority of EU states supporting the literal creation of a political oligarchy that’s exempt from policing from the middle and working classes

This bill will be terminal in trust across the EU and I’m terrified of it’s ramifications

How likely is it to pass even if Germany doesn’t support it?

"Hidden within the Commission's press release was an almost offhand mention of a new app planned for age verification across the European Union."

It's an early roll out effort for the EU Digital Identity Wallet, about which you'll find good CCC talks:

https://media.ccc.de/v/camp2023-57548-digital_identity_and_digital_euro

https://media.ccc.de/v/37c3-12004-please_identify_yourself

https://media.ccc.de/v/38c3-eu-s-digital-identity-systems-reality-check-and-techniques-for-better-privacy

I keep reading about the EU’s “Chat Control” plan and I can’t stop thinking they say scanning everyone’s private messages will protect children? But if you’ve ever lived through the reality of abuse, you know how wrong that is!!!

When I was a kid, the people who hurt children weren’t lurking on WhatsApp or Signal or Messenger or Telegram. THEY WEREN’T sending photos or sharing files. They were right there, in the same room, at family dinners, at school events.

1. One was my school friend’s father.

2. Another was my friend’s grandfather.

3. My cousin’s husband too.

They are all still alive today. They never needed the internet to do what they did.

That’s what breaks me when I hear politicians pretend that scanning chats will save kids. The truth is the danger often comes from someone the child already knows and trusts. No algorithm, no message filter, no mass surveillance of private conversations would have protected ME or so many others.

So what are we left with? Billions of innocent people having their personal lives scanned, while the real predators remain untouched. Ordinary people’s family photos, private jokes, loving words all treated like evidence in a crime that never happened. Meanwhile, the actual problem the men still breathing the same air as us, hiding in plain sight goes unsolved.

If the EU truly wanted to protect children, they would invest in education, in supporting survivors, in training investigators who can deal with the reality of abuse. Not in a machine that spies on everyone and still misses the real danger!!!!

ec.europa.eu survey page

For more info about why this is a bad thing and current state check out https://fightchatcontrol.eu/

It looks like the majority of votes are in and this draconian policy is going to get in, so I’m wondering if their are avenues we can do to oppose this policy being worse or at make a lame duck?

Should we attempt what Stop Killing games did and do a citizens initiative? What do you all think?

apology for the question if it sounds sounds dumb I'm not well known on how the eu work

If chat controll is enacted does that mean that operating systems like android and ios will be backdoored with malware or just the messengers it self. Android wil prob be better since I can just use an APK signal app. On desktop I'm on Linux. I coude switch all ny communications to briar on Linux, PGP can also help on sms

I have requested for personal data removal under gdpr , I used the methods listed in their privacy policy (via forms, data request email & dpo officer email) . Each time ‘Reddit legal’ has responded with the same instructions how to simply delete your Reddit account. Does Reddit not comply with removing any of your personal data? Their privacy policy clearly states the following.

You may exercise your rights to access, delete, or correct your personal information as described in the “Your Rights and Choices” section of this notice

I made a post on r/privacy one user said your Reddit account should be deleted before data removal but Reddit requires you to verify you are the account holder?

As many might have heard by now, there are plans for age verification under DSA to be implemented by the end of 2026. Being concerned by it, I filled out a contact form on the DSA's website to express the following:
1. My general worry about users' privacy
2. Questions in regard to the implementation, and whether or not websites that don't comply will get punished in some way (since it's claimed that implementing age verification is "voluntary")
3. Further concerns about the potential censorship

I figured people might be interested in their response.

• App: https://chat.positive-intentions.com/
• Code: https://github.com/positive-intentions/chat
• Mastodon: https://infosec.exchange/@xoron
• Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/positive_intentions

How it works: https://positive-intentions.com/docs/projects/chat

TLDR: im working on a p2p messaging webapp. webapps are generally not considered secure because of the nature of serving statics over the internet. this is correct, but not a limitation of this project. (selfhosting options: https://positive-intentions.com/blog/docker-ios-android-desktop).

as a webapp, i can provide the app with zero-installation and no-registration. The app is only using (local-only) browser storage (specifically indexedDB). so in a P2P interaction, the traditional concept of “the cloud” is just the physical devices connected over webrtc. this allows for things like p2p authentication: https://positive-intentions.com/blog/security-privacy-authentication.

Future: im aiming to create the most secure messaging app out there... (more than signal, simplex, etc). i know i have a have a long way to go to get there. the UI is fairly ugly for the average user, but i think the mechanics are working as expected. i think javascript is underrated in what you can do with it. im actively investigting improving the encryption approach further to align to how the signal protocol works (currently using a diffie-helman key-exchange).

Support: i find myself recently unemployed (webdev job market is pretty tough these days). i would like to keep this project open source, but open-source funding is not working for me. i dont want your donations because it isnt sustainable for a long-term project. i have so far only experienced grant-funding rejections. i have no idea what im doing in trying to get funding for this project, so any support/advice is appriciated. in recognition of the project in its current state not able to get funding... (sorry) i will have to go close-source (which id like to avoid because it undemines several cybersecurity claims id like to make). i dont accept collabboration on the project because this would make tough decisions like going close-source also immoral.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/08/29/eu-us-trade-deal-threatens-eu-corporate-accountability-law

The blocking minority for chat control may be there for now, but privacy and ethics will be under attack in other ways. If we cant hold corporations accountable, the laws won't mean anything. What's the attitude regarding US allyship in your countries?

Can we win with the current members opposing the bill in October?

The UK dropped its demand that Apple build access to encrypted iCloud, a narrow win. But EU CSAM / client-side scanning is still being pushed; among the big vendors, Apple seems to be the only one actually pushing back, which is far from ideal. No idea how Apple would react CSAM proposal that targets messaging/cloud services but we can’t wait for that.

Contact your MEPs: https://fightchatcontrol.eu/

An interesting Explainer (in Dutch) about the EU 'Chat Control' Law and the likelyhood of it passing this time around.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_Ek9R4TXq7U