EU’s Child Sexual Abuse Regulation Risks Undermining Encryption and Global Digital Privacy

The European Union’s proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR)—often referred to as Chat Control—is being criticized for creating an illusion of safety while threatening the very foundation of digital privacy. Experts warn that by weakening end-to-end encryption, the proposal risks exposing users worldwide to surveillance, exploitation, and cyberattacks. 

Encryption, which scrambles data to prevent unauthorized access, is fundamental to digital trust. It secures personal communications, financial data, and medical records, forming a critical safeguard for individuals and institutions alike. Yet, several democratic governments, including those within the EU, have begun questioning its use, framing strong encryption as an obstacle to law enforcement. This false dichotomy—between privacy and public safety—has led to proposals that inadvertently endanger both. 

At the center of the EU’s approach is client-side scanning, a technology that scans messages on users’ devices before encryption. Critics compare it to having someone read over your shoulder as you type a private letter. While intended to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the system effectively eliminates confidentiality. Moreover, it can be easily circumvented—offenders can hide files by zipping, renaming, or converting them to other formats, undermining the entire purpose of the regulation. 

Beyond its inefficiency, client-side scanning opens the door to mass s

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