EU lawmakers fail to block extension of 'chat control' message-scanning rules

EU lawmakers failed to block an extension of the temporary legal framework known as Chat Control 1.0, allowing digital platforms to continue voluntary scanning of private messages for child sexual abuse material until 2028 or until a permanent replacement law takes effect. In the July 9, 2026 vote, 314 members of the European Parliament rejected the extension and 276 backed it, with 17 abstentions, but second-reading rules required an absolute majority of 361 votes to defeat the measure. The result preserves a temporary derogation first introduced in 2021 from the EU’s ePrivacy Directive. It allows platforms to scan for known child sexual abuse material, previously unseen CSAM identified through AI-based detection, and grooming behavior. An amendment to limit scanning to individuals already under judicial suspicion won 322 votes, more than support for the extension itself, but also failed to clear the 361-vote threshold. The outcome keeps alive a fight that has drawn criticism from privacy and encryption advocates, including Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who has argued that broad monitoring of private communications can weaken the cryptographic protections used in secure messaging and decentralized digital systems. While Chat Control 1.0 remains voluntary rather than mandatory, critics say the regime still prolongs regulatory uncertainty for encrypted messaging services and raises the stakes for negotiations on a permanent successor, often referred to by opponents as Chat Control 2.0, which are expected to resume in September 2026.