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Small Appliances o Air Fryers o Air Quality o Coffee Machines o Hair Care o Vacuums o Robot Vacuums + Home Brands o Dyson o Philips Hue o Ring o Shark o Ninja + More from Home o Home Reviews o Home Buying Guides o Home Deals o Home News o Mattress coupons o Home & appliances coupons * EVs * Browse + View Browse + By Type o News o Best o Reviews o Deals o Versus o How To o Opinion o Coupons + Popular Brands o Samsung o Sony o Microsoft o Apple Don't miss these EU Cyber Security "It's just smoke and mirrors" - Over 500 cryptography scientists and researchers slam the EU proposal to scan all your WhatsApp chats European Union flag and map on damaged wall - stock photo Cyber Security Chat Control: Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Sweden shift their positions ahead of the October 14 meeting EU VPN Privacy & Security The vote on Chat Control has been postponed, but the "fight isn't over" yet - here's what we know European Union technical background Cyber Security Chat Control: The list of countries opposing the law grows, but support remains strong [7f3fWcySCC] VPN Privacy & Security "Europe's digital sovereignty at stake" - Europe's privacy-first tech unites against Chat Control Hand with mobile phone and VPN application with the EU flag on a laptop's screen on the background VPN Privacy & Security "A major step backwards for privacy" - The VPN industry speaks out against Chat Control Eu VPN Privacy & Security Chat Control: Can the EU Parliament save our encrypted chats? Double exposure of virtual creative lock hologram with chip on German flag and blue sky background. Information security concept Cyber Security It's official! Germany "will not agree" to Chat Control - here's everything we know A woman holding a mobile phone in front of the Signal logo displayed on a computer screen VPN Privacy & Security Chat Control is "like a malware on your device" - Signal slams the EU proposal to scan your private chats Reichtag building in Berlin, Germany Cyber Security Chat Control: Germany joins the opposition against mandatory scanning of private chats in the name of encryption Tuta secure email Cyber Security "We will not stand by while the EU destroys encryption" - Tuta Mail ready to sue the EU over Chat Control Detail of the national flag of Ireland waving in the wind with blurred European Union flag - stock photo VPN Privacy & Security Ireland wants an encryption backdoor - but privacy experts urge authorities to "reconsider their plans" Giant eye watching at man working at the computer. Surveillance, hacking, internet security concept. Flat vector illustration. VPN Privacy & Security "It's not about security, it's about control" - How EU governments want to encrypt their own comms, but break our private chats Global Encryption Coalition's Encryption Summit 2025 VPN Privacy & Security Encryption is under attack - but it's "vital for law enforcement," says former US investigator Security padlock in circuit board background. VPN Privacy & Security Over 60 organizations call on governments worldwide to protect encryption Trending * Black Friday deals * Windows 10 end of life * Best laptop * Best VPN * ChatGPT * Best web hosting * NYT Wordle today 1. VPN 2. VPN Privacy & Security Chat Control: EU lawmakers finally agree on the voluntary scanning of your private chats News By Chiara Castro published 26 November 2025 The agreement follows more than three years of disagreements * * * * * * * * Comments (0) () When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard gives a doorstep statement after a briefing on drones at the Ministry of Justice on September 29, 2025, following recent drone disturbances over Denmark. Image credit: Pixabay (Image credit: Photo by Thomas Traasdahl / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by THOMAS TRAASDAHL/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images) --------------------------------------------------------------------- * The EU Council reached an agreement on the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation * Voluntary chat scanning remains in the bill despite privacy backlash * The Council now prepares to start negotiations with the Parliament --------------------------------------------------------------------- The EU Council has finally reached an agreement on the controversial Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) after more than three years of failed attempts. Nicknamed Chat Control by its critics, the agreement has kept cryptographers, technologists, encrypted service providers, and privacy experts alike in turmoil since its inception. Presidency after presidency, the bill has taken many shapes. But its most controversial feature is an obligation for all messaging service providers operating in the EU - including those using end-to-end-encryption - to scan their users' private chats on the lookout for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Best picks for you * EU "It's just smoke and mirrors" - Over 500 cryptography scientists and researchers slam the EU proposal to scan all your WhatsApp chats * European Union flag and map on damaged wall - stock photo Chat Control: Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Sweden shift their positions ahead of the October 14 meeting * EU The vote on Chat Control has been postponed, but the "fight isn't over" yet - here's what we know At the beginning of the month, the Danish Presidency decided to change its approach with a new compromise text that makes the chat scanning voluntary, instead. That turned to be a winning move, with the proposal managing to reach an agreement in the Council on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Privacy experts are unlikely to celebrate, though. The decision came a few days after a group of scientists wrote yet another open letter warning that the latest text still "brings high risks to society." That's after other privacy experts deemed the new proposal a " political deception" rather than an actual fix. The EU Council is now preparing to start negotiations with the European Parliament, hoping to agree on the final terms of the regulation. What we know about the Council agreement EU flags outside administrative building (Image credit: Pixabay) As per the EU Council announcement, the new law imposes a series of obligations on digital companies. Under the new rules, online service providers will be required to assess how their platforms could be misused and, based on the results, may need to "implement mitigating measures to counter that risk," the Council notes. The Council also introduces three risk categories of online services. Those deemed to be a high-risk can be forced "to contribute to the development of technologies to mitigate the risks relating to their services." Voluntary scanning also remains in the bill. A new EU agency is then tasked to oversee the implementation of the new rules. "I'm glad that the member states have finally agreed on a way forward that includes a number of obligations for providers of communication services to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material," said Danish Minister for Justice, Peter Hummelgaard. But concerns about how the agreement threatens our digital rights persist, with one person on the forum, Hacker News, saying the Danish "government has today turned the EU into a tool for total surveillance, I don't know if there can be any return from." As trilogue negotiations approach, the ongoing challenge for legislators remains striking the right balance between halting abuse online, without compromising on fundamental rights and strong encryption. 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She believes an open, uncensored, and private internet is a basic human need and wants to use her knowledge of VPNs to help readers take back control. She writes news, interviews, and analysis on data privacy, online censorship, digital rights, tech policies, and security software, with a special focus on VPNs, for TechRadar and TechRadar Pro. Got a story, tip-off, or something tech-interesting to say? Reach out to chiara.castro@futurenet.com You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout Deals not to miss EU "It's just smoke and mirrors" - Over 500 cryptography scientists and researchers slam the EU proposal to scan all your WhatsApp chats European Union flag and map on damaged wall - stock photo Chat Control: Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Sweden shift their positions ahead of the October 14 meeting EU The vote on Chat Control has been postponed, but the "fight isn't over" yet - here's what we know European Union technical background Chat Control: The list of countries opposing the law grows, but support remains strong [7f3fWcySCC] "Europe's digital sovereignty at stake" - Europe's privacy-first tech unites against Chat Control Hand with mobile phone and VPN application with the EU flag on a laptop's screen on the background "A major step backwards for privacy" - The VPN industry speaks out against Chat Control Latest in VPN Privacy & Security Woman shocked by online scam, holding her credit card outside Black Friday shoppers advised to be cautious as fake Amazon, eBay websites soar NordVPN on a mobile phone NordVPN just aced an independent lab evaluation, and the timing couldn't be better Consumer internet privacy I ditched Google for a secure alternative - now it's 50% off meaning you can too! 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