EU Parliament Passes Chat Control 1.0 Despite Majority Opposition
Original: EU Parliament greenlights Chat Control 1.0
Why This Matters
The vote sets a precedent for mass digital surveillance policy across all EU member states through 2028.
On July 9, 2026, the European Parliament allowed Chat Control 1.0 to pass despite 314 MEPs voting against and only 276 in favor. The rejection motion failed to reach the required absolute majority of 361 votes, permitting suspicionless mass scanning of private communications until 2028.
The European Parliament on July 9, 2026 passed Chat Control 1.0—a measure permitting the suspicionless mass scanning of private communications—despite a majority of voting MEPs opposing it (314 against, 276 in favor, 17 abstentions). Because the motion to reject the regulation required an absolute majority of 361 votes and fell short, the measure passed by procedural default. This marks the third time the regulation came to a vote after being rejected twice in March 2026. A symbolic exemption was adopted for encrypted communications, though service providers do not scan these in practice. A separate amendment to restrict scanning strictly to judicially identified suspects also failed to reach the required threshold (322 to 255 votes in favor, but short of the absolute majority). The interim regulation will remain in effect until 2028 or until a permanent regulation is agreed upon. Negotiations on the permanent 'Chat Control 2.0' are set to resume in September. Former MEP and civil rights activist Dr. Patrick Breyer condemned the outcome, stating: 'The fact that Chat Control is moving forward against the will of the majority of voting MEPs is a farce and damages democracy.' He also argued the measure would delay meaningful child protection legislation while overwhelming law enforcement with false alarms.