- The EU Council is pushing to reactivate the expired voluntary chat monitoring regulation via a fast-track procedure before the summer break.
- Chat Control 1.0 allowed providers to scan encrypted messages for child abuse content, but expired in April; the Council now proposes a nearly identical new regulation.
- Critics view this as a tactic to circumvent democratic oversight, aiming to rush approval when many Parliament members are absent.
- The new regulation seeks to prevent legal gaps and national fragmentation while maintaining privacy safeguards like data deletion within 12 months if no suspicion is confirmed.
- The proposal is in its 2nd reading, requiring an absolute majority in Parliament to stop or amend, a high hurdle given the timing.