EU: Users who refuse scanning to be prevented from sharing photos and links

Scope of the Proposed EU “Chat Control” Law

• Mandatory client-side scanning of images and possibly links for CSAM on major messaging platforms.
• Users who refuse scanning could lose the ability to send or receive photos and links.
• Some services and actors (security authorities, military, politicians, non-profit/self-hosted services) may be exempt, which many see as creating a two-tier system.

Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Authoritarian Drift

• Strong concern that this normalizes mass surveillance and erodes the right to private communication (including references to European fundamental rights).
• Many see a “ratchet” effect: once scanning infrastructure exists, it will be extended (e.g., to copyright, broader policing).
• Comparisons are made to anti-terror and anti-communist laws used as pretexts for expanding state powers, and to historical secret-police regimes.

Effectiveness and Technical Feasibility

• Widespread skepticism that this will meaningfully hinder CSAM distribution.
• Evasion paths mentioned: end-to-end encryption with different clients, self-hosted/open-source tools, encoding images as text, archives hidden in files, or alternate networks (Tor, Usenet, etc.).
• Concern that only unsophisticated users will be caught while serious criminals adapt quickly.

False Positives and Harm to Innocents

• Thread cites reported false positive rates (around 10% in some discussions) and real-world cases where automated CSAM detection led to account bans and investigations.
• Fear that normal family photos (e.g., children swimming) could trigger life-altering investigations.
• Doubts about AI image classification accuracy and the lack of robust, independent appeal mechanisms.

EU Institutions, Process, and Politics

• Clarification that the initiative comes from the Council/Commission and must still pass the European Parliament, which previously blocked similar proposals.
• Debate over how powerful the Parliament really is and whether repeated proposals will eventually pass.
• Calls to use EU elections to support parties opposed to chat control; Pirate Parties frequently mentioned.

Regulation, Big Tech, and Public Response

• Some argue the law is a reaction to perceived tech industry failure to self-regulate CSAM.
• Others say it aligns big tech and governments against users rather than constraining platforms.
• Expectation that most users will simply accept scanning prompts (as with cookie banners), making opt-out a de facto blacklist of “suspicious” people.