Appeal by Data Protection Authorities: EU should "completely and definitively" abandon chat control

German data protection authorities are urging the EU to abandon "chat control" proposals in the ongoing negotiations for the CSA Regulation. This appeal highlights concerns over mass surveillance of private communications and the potential compromise of end-to-end encryption. The authorities advocate for targeted surveillance based on concrete suspicion, rather than broad scanning of private messages. These demands stem from the critical importance of communication confidentiality and the right to informational self-determination for all EU citizens. German data protection bodies emphasize that measures like client-side scanning, which inspects content before encryption on the device, pose significant security risks and could be exploited by malicious actors. They argue that even laudable goals, such as preventing child sexual abuse, do not justify the indiscriminate monitoring of millions of individuals. While some progress has been reported in trilogue negotiations, particularly concerning the EU Centre for Child Abuse, the contentious issue of chat control remains a major point of contention. The discussions are expected to continue, with future rounds of negotiations potentially shaping the final legislative text. The outcome of these talks will significantly impact digital privacy standards across the European Union.