trilogue negotiations

Leaked EU documents, published before a key trilogue round, indicate member states are seeking to legalise indiscriminate mass scanning of private messages through administrative decisions rather than primary legislation. Critics say the workaround would impose blanket surveillance of private communications without a court order, reviving the controversial 'chat control' proposal by indirect means, while supporters argue it targets child sexual abuse material.

Leaked EU documents indicate member states plan to legalize mass scanning of private messages indirectly through administrative orders, bypassing lengthy legislative procedures. The revelations come just before crucial trilogue negotiations on the EU's contentious chat control proposal. Critics warn the plan would enable comprehensive surveillance of private communications without proper parliamentary scrutiny, reigniting debate over privacy versus child protection.

Negotiators meet Tuesday for the sixth trilogue on the EU's ChatControl 2.0 proposal, which would require scanning of private messages. Reports say the European Parliament is being presented with a workaround that its own legal service has already judged illegitimate. Privacy advocates are sounding the alarm that lawmakers may be pushed into backing a measure their legal experts consider unlawful.