Overview

• The Danish Presidency has sent the measure to the Justice and Home Affairs Council for a decision on Oct. 14.
• The draft would require providers to scan user devices for child sexual abuse material before messages are encrypted, initially focusing on images and links.
• The text includes a review clause that could later expand detection to grooming, and it contemplates AI tools subject to effectiveness and rights vetting.
• Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker said the service could leave the EU if the law passes, reflecting broader industry concerns about user safety and service viability.
• Critics including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Chaos Computer Club say client-side scanning is invasive and creates new attack surfaces, while proponents claim it need not break encryption and member-state positions—including Ireland’s support and reports of a possible German shift—remain in flux.