TZUTC: -0500   
   MSGID: 1495.consprcy@1:2320/105 2d29a35a   
   PID: Synchronet 3.21a-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.28-Linux master/123f2d28a Jul 12 2025 GCC 12.2.0   
   BBSID: CAPCITY2   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   FORMAT: flowed   
   "A major step backwards for privacy"  The VPN industry speaks out against    
   Chat Control   
      
   Date:   
   Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:50:22 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   While opposition grows, the majority of EU members currently support the   
   mandatory scanning of private chats. The next EU Council meeting is set for   
   October 14.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   EU lawmakers should reject any regulations that mandate encryption backdoors,   
   weaken encryption standards, or impose insecure technical requirements.    
      
   That's the pledge from the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) , a consortium that   
   includes some of the best VPN providers on the market, as EU members are   
   sharing their final positions on the Danish version of the Child Sexual Abuse   
   Regulation (CSAR) proposal in the Council.    
      
   Nicknamed Chat Control by its critics, the bill seeks to introduce new   
   obligations for all messaging services operating in Europe to scan user chats    
    even if they're encrypted  in the search for both known and unknown child   
   sexual abuse material (CSAM).    
      
   Although virtual private network (VPN) software is outside the law's scope   
   for now, at least  VTI's members are worried that this so-called client-side   
   scanning would irrevocably ruin the very technology VPNs are built on.    
      
   "Encryption either protects everyone or it protects no one," said Emilija   
   Beranskait, Co-Chair of the VPN Trust Initiative.    
      
   "Governments worldwide  and especially in Europe this week  must lead from an   
   informed position and defend strong encryption as a cornerstone of privacy,   
   digital trust, and democratic values."   
      
   How Chat Control could break encryption?   
      
   In its current form, the Danish CSAM scanning proposal would force the likes   
   of WhatsApp, Signal, ProtonMail , and other messaging services to perform   
   indiscriminate scanning of private messages.    
      
   Crucially, the mandatory scanning is expected to occur directly on the device   
   before messages are encrypted, targeting shared URLs, pictures, and videos.   
   Only governments and military accounts are excluded from the scope of the   
   bill.    
      
   Despite the proposal mentioning the commitment to preserve end-to-end   
   encryption protections, experts believe that client-side technologies simply   
   cannot do that.    
      
   "Chat Control's client-side scanning provisions create a false choice between   
   safety and security," Laura Tyrylyte, privacy advocate at NordVPN , a member   
   of the VTI, told TechRadar. "Solutions should not be transactional. We cannot   
   solve one problem, even as serious as child safety, at the expense of    
   creating systemic security vulnerabilities that expose everyone to greater   
   risks."    
      
    NymVPN 's CEO, Harry Halpin, has also spoken out against Chat Control,   
   deeming it "a major step backwards for privacy."    
      
   "Scanning everyones intimate conversations is a disproportionate response    
   that normalises surveillance," he explains. A measure that could be easily   
   repurposed to target journalists, activists, or political opponents. Such a   
   backdoor will also create a vulnerability that criminals and hostile   
   governments could exploit.    
      
   "The better approach is targeted, warrant-based investigations, rapid    
   takedown of illegal content, clear industry reporting routes, and properly   
   resourced specialist teams," Halpin added.   
      
   How likely is Chat Control to pass?   
      
   On the eve of today's (September 12) meeting, Luxembourg and Germany joined   
   the opposition , bringing the list of countries opposing the bill to eight.    
      
   The latest rumors shared by the former MEP for the German Pirate Party and   
   digital rights jurist, Patrick Breyer, also indicate that Slovenia has passed   
   from the undecided to those against.    
      
   If that's true, only three EU members remain undecided (Estonia, Greece, and   
   Romania), and we'll need to wait and see if these governments will eventually   
   take a definite position in the Council. Do you know? (Image credit: Getty   
   Images) On Tuesday (September 9), over 500 cryptography scientists and   
   researchers signed a letter to warn the EU Council of the risks of agreeing    
   to the proposal in its current form. This is the third time since 2022 that   
   experts have urged against mandatory chat scanning.    
      
   However, support remains stronger, with 15 countries (including France,    
   Italy, and Spain) being in favor of the bill, as per the latest data .    
      
   According to the Senior Director for European Government and Regulatory   
   Affairs at the Internet Society, David Frautschy, that's "a bad outcome" for   
   privacy and secure communications in the EU.    
      
   "It's not over, but the window is closing quickly. The process will be over    
   by October 14th. So, we encourage citizens to convince their policymakers    
   that the right way forward is supporting strong encryption, not weakening or   
   undermining it by client-side-scanning surveillance," Frautschy added.    
      
   What's certain, however, is that Chat Control is only one of the proposals   
   that could endanger encryption protections for Europeans  and VPNs could also   
   become a target as some EU experts explicitly mentioned them as "key   
   challenges" to investigative work.    
      
   Commenting on this point, Tyrylyte from NordVPN told TechRadar: "Once   
   deployed, client-side scanning infrastructure can be trivially reconfigured    
   to expand surveillance beyond its original purpose. This directly contradicts   
   the EU's own cybersecurity goals, including the Cyber Resilience Act and   
   post-quantum cryptography initiatives. We can't have one policy weakening   
   security while others are trying to strengthen it."   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/a-major-step-backwards-for-   
   privacy-the-vpn-industry-speaks-out-against-chat-control   
      
   $$   
   --- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux   
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)   
   SEEN-BY: 105/81 106/201 128/187 129/14 305 153/7715 154/110 218/700   
   SEEN-BY: 226/30 227/114 229/110 111 206 300 307 317 400 426 428 470   
   SEEN-BY: 229/664 700 705 266/512 291/111 320/219 322/757 342/200 396/45   
   SEEN-BY: 460/58 712/848 902/26 2320/0 105 304 3634/12 5075/35   
   PATH: 2320/105 229/426