# The EU (still) wants to scan all your messages and photos!

The “Chat Control” proposal would mandate the scanning of all private digital communication — including encrypted messages and images. It threatens the fundamental rights to privacy and digital security of every EU citizen.

The goal of the #StopChatControl movement
We present the facts and real risks of Chat Control. We mobilize citizens to defend privacy.

## Impact on every citizen

Every photo, every message, every file would be automatically scanned — without your consent or knowledge. This is not about catching criminals. It’s mass surveillance forced upon all 450 million EU citizens.

📱

#### Mass surveillance

Every private message, image, and file scanned automatically — no exceptions*, even encrypted communication.

🔓️

#### Breaking encryption

Weakening or breaking end-to-end encryption exposes everyone’s communication — financial, medical, and personal — to hackers and cybercriminals.

⚖️

#### Fundamental rights

Undermines your basic rights to privacy and data protection (Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights) — the core of democratic European values.

🎯

#### False positives

Automated algorithms often misclassify innocent content — like vacation photos or private jokes — as illegal, exposing people to false accusations.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

#### Ineffective child protection

Experts and organizations, including the UN, warn that mass surveillance doesn’t protect children — it puts everyone at risk, weakening security and diverting resources from proven protection methods.

🌍

#### A global precedent

Creates a dangerous global precedent — governments could scan everyone’s communications under the guise of “safety” or “child protection.”

EU politicians would be exempt from surveillance under the excuse of “professional secrecy.”
They’d be protected. You and your family wouldn’t. Demand fairness.

## Technical aspect — how does Chat Control work?

The EU is considering several surveillance methods:

🖥️

### Server-side scanning

All messages are sent to a server where they are analyzed. Zero privacy, high risk of data leaks.

📱

### Client-side scanning (that means you!)

Content analyzed directly on the user’s device. Can introduce backdoors and increase vulnerability to attacks.

📃

### Metadata analysis

Who sends what, when, and to whom — surveillance without even reading message content.

✖

### Backdoor

A backdoor is a hidden mechanism in software that allows a third party to gain unauthorized access to a user’s system or data.

## Chat Control Timeline

2025
Over 500 cryptography experts warn about abuse risks and security flaws. The EU vote decides the future of digital privacy.
2023
The European Parliament and member states criticize the plan for violating privacy and end-to-end encryption.
2022
Chat Control 2.0 – a proposal for mandatory scanning of all messages, including encrypted ones. Experts sound the alarm.
2020
The EU allows voluntary scanning of messages for CSAM – the first step toward mass surveillance.

## Sources and documents

- Official EU documents — EUR-Lex
- ZFODO Report: Data Protection Incidents in 2022
- CERT Polska: Analysis of Polish Internet Security 2024