Germany Rejects EU's Chat Control Regulation Over Privacy and Security Concerns
Germany firmly opposes the EU's proposed chat control regulation, citing privacy and security risks that threaten encrypted communications and likely blocking the EU initiative.
- • Germany's Justice Ministry and political leaders oppose the EU chat control regulation.
- • Proposed client-side scanning of messages before encryption is criticized for undermining security.
- • Germany’s rejection reduces chances for EU regulation to achieve required majority.
- • Messaging services like Signal warn of potential market withdrawal if forced to implement chat control.
Key details
Germany has taken a definitive stance against the European Union's proposed chat control regulation, marking strong opposition that could derail the initiative. The German Federal Ministry of Justice, led by Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD), emphasized that intrusive chat control measures are unacceptable in a rule of law. Hubig stated that private communication must not be treated with general suspicion and that forcing messaging services to conduct mass scanning of messages before sending is a violation of privacy.
Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, likened the proposal to opening all letters preemptively to check for illegal content, a move he called unacceptable despite the aim to protect children from abuse. The EU draft regulation targets apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, requiring client-side scanning of images and videos before encryption to prevent child sexual abuse material dissemination. However, cryptography and data protection experts argue this technology undermines end-to-end encryption's fundamental security guarantees.
An open letter from leading cryptography experts warned that client-side scanning enabling law enforcement access to message content effectively destroys encryption security. Germany's rejection is pivotal, as EU regulations require at least 15 member states comprising 65% of the EU population to approve. While France, Spain, and Italy support the regulation, countries like Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and critically Germany oppose it, making a consensus unlikely.
Negotiations continue at the ambassadorial level, but the outlook remains doubtful. Meanwhile, messaging service Signal has threatened to exit the European market if the measure becomes mandatory, with CEO Meredith Whittaker warning such scanning would mark the end of secure, private communication. German authorities' opposition aligns with data protection bodies, civil rights groups, and IT security researchers advocating for focused investigations and stronger law enforcement powers without resorting to sweeping, unjustified surveillance.
Germany’s firm no underscores the intense debate around preserving privacy and encryption security amid efforts to combat child abuse online, positioning the nation as a key balancer in the EU's digital policy direction.