Controversial EU 'Chat Control' Bill Has Core Explosive Removed — 'Mandatory Scanning Excluded'

The EU found compromise on the controversial "Chat Control" bill (formally CSAR — Child Sexual Abuse Regulation). The EU Council passed an agreement removing the provision requiring mandatory scanning of all messenger app user communications. On the 26th (local time), EU member state government representatives in Brussels reached agreement on CSAR, planning to finalize legislation by April 2026 through final negotiations (Trilogue) with the European Parliament. Core change: mandatory scanning of end-to-end encrypted messengers (WhatsApp, Signal) replaced with voluntary scanning plus mandatory "Risk Assessment" obligations for platforms. Signal had threatened European service withdrawal; privacy advocates including Elon Musk criticized the original as "state-directed surveillance." The Danish presidency broke the deadlock by removing mandatory scanning and making scanning voluntary while adding risk assessment requirements. Both sides remain dissatisfied: privacy advocates (Proton CEO Andy Yen) warn against "backdoor" reintroduction through Trilogue negotiations; child rights organizations say the compromise provides insufficient protection. The broader significance: Chat Control represents the most significant test of whether governments can mandate surveillance of encrypted communications under child safety justifications — the compromise acknowledges that end-to-end encryption is a fundamental infrastructure that cannot be compromised without catastrophic security consequences, while preserving the policy goal through platform accountability frameworks.