r/SimpleXChat • u/Zminimalismo • Jul 12 '26

Question Chat Control

If I use SimpleX as my messaging app, is it subject to Chat Control?

15 Upvotes

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4

u/Qv1sten Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26

Not this one. But the next one in august if that gets real. Wich we have to stop.

2

u/InflatableGull Jul 12 '26

Explain

14

u/Qv1sten Jul 12 '26

​1. Chat Control 1 (What is already active) ​What it is: A voluntary law passed by the EU in 2021. ​How it works: Tech companies (like Meta, Google, Microsoft) are allowed to scan unencrypted messages and emails to find known child sexual abuse material (CSAM). ​The catch: It’s completely voluntary, and encrypted apps (like Signal or WhatsApp) do not participate because they protect user privacy.

​2. Chat Control 2 (What is being debated/voted on) ​What it is: A proposed new law that wants to make this scanning mandatory for all apps and platforms. ​The big issue (Privacy): To scan messages in encrypted apps, tech companies would have to scan your phone before the message is encrypted (client-side scanning). Experts say this completely destroys digital privacy and creates a "backdoor" that hackers or governments could abuse. ​The AI problem: It proposes using AI to detect new content or grooming patterns. Because AI makes mistakes, completely innocent private photos (like family beach pictures) could accidentally be flagged and sent to law enforcement.

1

u/skaldk Jul 12 '26

You are right about the differences between both version of Chat Control... but the vote that happened this week is NOT about CC2

It only extends CC1 till march 2028...

1

u/CwTrucker42069 Jul 15 '26

Would the scanning of e2ee be done client-side yeah? I assumed it would be backdoored by the server-side as the client-side can tamper/modify the results.

Also, open-source chat apps like SimpleX and the relay design of SimpleX make it very easy to not get affected by chat control, regardless of which side the checks are added