Signal opposes EU Chat Control law over message scanning

The encrypted-messaging app Signal has argued against the EU’s proposal in the Chat Control law to scan messages on encrypted apps. Signal president Meredith Whittaker posted an official statement from the company on X against the bill saying “scanning is the same old surveillance with new branding” and that this “undermines encryption” while “creating significant vulnerabilities.” The Chat Control law is a part of the EU’s move to fight against online child sexual abuse material or CSAM. Another new change in the proposal is the ‘upload moderation’ provision where content will be scanned before being transmitted or encrypted which critics say defeats the principle of encryption which involves end-to-end principle. Whether this happens via tampering with, for instance, an encryption algorithm’s random number generation, or by implementing a key escrow system, or by forcing communications to pass through a surveillance system before they’re encrypted,” the official statement released by Signal said.