On point: The EU Council plans a renewed vote on chat control, a proposal for comprehensive mass surveillance of user communications without suspicion.
The EU Council has unexpectedly scheduled a new vote on the so-called chat control regulation. The proposal envisages mass surveillance of user data on large platforms without suspicion.
The EU Council has unexpectedly placed the chat control regulation back on the agenda and put it to a vote. The procedure had previously been blocked or postponed multiple times, but is now being pushed forward again.
For data protection officers, this means significant regulatory uncertainty. The proposed regulation would require platform operators to scan user communications for suspicious content – without concrete suspicion of an offense or judicial authorization. This stands in direct tension with established data protection principles such as the EU AI Act and the GDPR, which provide for purpose limitation and proportionality.
For CDOs, the renewed vote means that despite previous rejection or delay, a revised version or enforcement of this regulation must be anticipated. Compliance requirements for large platforms could shift fundamentally, particularly regarding data storage, scanning scope and reporting obligations. In parallel, it remains unclear how such unsuspicious mass measures can be reconciled with the European data protection framework.
Source: www.golem.de · Published 8 July 2026
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