EU Parliament extends Chat Control rules on private message scanning until 2028

On 7 July 2026 the European Parliament approved, by an urgent procedure, an extension of the temporary “Chat Control 1.0” regulation. The measure lets online‑service providers voluntarily scan private messages, emails and files for content involving the sexual abuse of children. The extension runs until April 2028, or until a permanent law is adopted.

The vote was 276 in favour and 314 against; an absolute majority of 361 votes was required to reject the proposal, so the amendment passed despite a numerical majority of MEPs opposing it. An amendment also excludes communications protected by end‑to‑end encryption (e.g., WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage) from the scanning mandate, though the final wording still awaits approval by the EU Council and Commission.

Critics warn that the rule creates a de‑facto surveillance regime, could generate false‑positive investigations and set a precedent for a future “Chat Control 2.0” that would make scanning mandatory. Proponents argue the framework is needed to detect and report child‑sexual‑abuse material quickly. The decision affects all EU users of services such as Gmail, Facebook Messenger, Discord, Snapchat or traditional email, while encrypted services remain out of scope for now.