Denmark drops Chat Control proposal amid backlash

Denmark has withdrawn its proposal for an EU law mandating the scanning of private electronic messages, including on encrypted platforms, after weeks of political and public backlash.

Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard confirmed on Thursday that Copenhagen will no longer push for mandatory scanning under the so-called Chat Control measure, which aimed to detect and curb the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Instead, Denmark will support voluntary detection by tech companies.

‘This means that the search warrant will not be part of the EU presidency’s new compromise proposal, and it will remain voluntary for tech giants to search for child sexual abuse material,’ Hummelgaard told reporters. He warned, however, that the current framework allowing voluntary scanning expires in April.

‘Right now, we risk completely losing a central tool in the fight against sexual abuse of children. We owe it to all the children who are subjected to monstrous abuse,’ he said.

The move follows Germany’s announcement on 8 October that it would not support the Danish proposal, effectively ending chances of a deal. Germany, which holds a decisive vote in EU negotiations, had long expressed reservations about the proposal. The country’s new coalition government, however, had declined to clarify its position until recently, creating uncertainty over the measure’s fate.

The draft reignited fierce debate over privacy, encryption, and surveillance across the EU. Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation, had warned earlier that the proposal would amount to ‘mass surveillance,’ saying the secure messaging platform would exit the European market if it passed.

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