Denmark Finally Giving Up On Eu Chat Control After Privacy Backlash

Denmark, which holds the European Council presidency, has reportedly withdrawn the proposal that would have forced platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal to allow authorities to screen messages before they’re encrypted and sent.

The proposed legislation, known as Chat Control, was first introduced in May 2022 as a method to combat the spread of illicit and illegal content through messaging services.

The withdrawn proposal means it will remain voluntary.

Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard stated that the proposal will now “not be part of the EU presidency’s new compromise proposal, and that it will continue to be voluntary,” for tech giants to screen encrypted messages, according to a report by Danish daily newspaper Politiken on Oct. 30.

The current voluntary framework expires in April 2026, and Politiken reported that Hummelgaard stated that if the years-long political stalemate over Chat Control were not resolved, it would leave the EU without any legal tools to combat bad actors using messaging services.

The backtrack on chat control was reportedly to ensure a new framework could be implemented before the deadline.

X's Global Government Affairs team said on Saturday that Denmark’s withdrawal is a “major defeat for mass surveillance advocates,” and the platform will “continue to monitor the progress of these negotiations and oppose any efforts to implement government mass surveillance of users.”

Patrick Hansen, the director of EU Strategy and Policy at stablecoin issuer Circle, also applauded the news and stated it was a “Major win for digital freedoms in the EU.”

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberty nonprofit, shared a similar stance and speculated public pressure “pushed the EU Council to withdraw its dangerous plan to scan encrypted messages.”

He argues that the focus should be on “developing real solutions that don’t violate the human rights of people around the world.”

Source: CoinTelegraph