A debate scheduled for Wednesday, October 14 at the Council of the European Union (EU) on a controversial project known as “Chat Control” that proposes to monitor all private messages sent within the EU to prevent and combat child sexual abuse has been postponed.
French Member of Parliament Sarah Kunafo, member of the Europe of Nations and Freedoms (ENS) group and representative of the Reconquet Party; I thought the postponement was due to pressure.. The lawmaker classified the news as a “first victory.”
“The UERSS surveillance mechanism is collapsing, which is great news. But let us remain vigilant,” the MEP said, recalling that the initiative involves scanning citizens’ private conversations, including the photos they send, as reported by CriptoNoticias.
Sebastián Lukomski, Coordinator of CitizenGo, a global campaign platform Over 300,000 people sign a petition calling for the project to be canceled“a last-minute change has become evident. “This reflects growing resistance among EU member states and the influence of mounting public pressure across Europe.”
For now, this controversial plan to undermine encrypted communications has been postponed, but not defeated. The proposal remains on hold and could resurface at any time. The message from Europe is clear. The public will not accept mass surveillance under the guise of “security.” Our privacy and freedom are non-negotiable.
Sebastian Lukomski, CitizenGo Global Campaign Coordinator.
Similarly, Other groups spoke out, especially the mobile messaging application Telegram.sent the following message to users after the debate was postponed:
“Today, the European Union has all but banned your right to privacy.” “We were poised to vote for a law that would force apps to scan all private messages and turn everyone’s phone into a spying tool.”
The Telegram further noted that “France led the push for this authoritarian law.” “Former and current interior ministers Bruno Lutailot and Laurent Nuñez both supported him. Last March, the police declared that French citizens’ private messages should be viewed by police. “The Republicans and Macron’s Renaissance group voted in favor,” he added.
He elaborated that such measures are supposed to fight crime, but cannot achieve that. The real purpose is the common people.. “We can’t stop criminals because all they have to do is hide using VPNs and special websites,” he said.
“Messages from government officials and police are also not scanned, as the law conveniently exempts them from surveillance. Only you, the public, face the risk of having your private messages and photos compromised,” Telegram said.
“Today, we protected our privacy. Germany’s sudden position saved our rights. But freedoms are still under threat. As French leaders push for full access to private messages, the fundamental rights of the French, and of all Europeans, remain at risk,” he concluded.
The postponement comes a week after the German government announced it would not support the proposal. According to FightChatControl, an effort to stop the project from proceeding. Currently, 9 countries are against the European Union, 12 countries are in favor, and 6 countries are undecided..