Overview

• The latest Council presidency text would scan content on users' devices and match it against known child abuse material, narrowing scope to media and links but still targeting encrypted services.
• Germany remains pivotal as ministries disagree, and CDU/CSU leader Jens Spahn said his bloc opposes suspicion-less chat control, underscoring the coalition's unresolved stance.
• Digital industry groups Bitkom and eco, the German Journalists' Association and the German Child Protection Association publicly urged rejection, warning of disproportionate surveillance and risks to press freedom and confidential communications.
• The EU Council’s Legal Service and data-protection authorities have raised legality and privacy concerns, and security experts caution that false positives could swamp law enforcement.
• Signal reiterated it would leave the EU rather than weaken encryption and WhatsApp warned the draft still undermines security, while several reports indicate the planned Council vote next week may slip.