The EU is about to backdoor encryption. Here’s how this could affect you, even if you’re American…

What Is Chat Control?

The EU is proposing to break encryption with a policy called Chat Control. Chat Control scans all the info on your devices before it’s encrypted, providing a backdoor to encrypted protocols.

Chat Control would break encryption within the EU for iMessage, Signal, VPN’s, everything.

The EU claims it will only be used to detect child pornography.

But a backdoor is a backdoor, and the government can use it for anything they want. So could hackers.

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re in the United States, as I am. So, why does this matter for us, and for the world?

Why This Matters, Even for Americans

“Why do you even care about this, Francis?” I asked myself. “You don’t live in the EU, you never will live in the EU, and you rarely even visit.”

True. But I do enjoy my trips there. And I don’t feel good about visiting a place that is unfree.

I also fear that the next stop for Chat Control is right here in the US of A.

I highly doubt the Trump Administration would allow this. But you can bet that a subset of politicians and citizens, potentially on both the left and right, would.

If they take away people’s rights in the EU, the government will try to do the same here. It’s not a matter of “if”.

It’s a matter of “when”.

Defeating Chat Control Technically: Good Luck

It may not be possible for Europeans to stop the EU from implementing Chat Control. But can we defeat Chat Control in a technical manner?

I asked Gemini 2.5 Pro, prompting it by saying that it’s a world renowned expert on cybersecurity with a strong moral commitment to privacy.

Here’s a portion of its response:

“From a purely technical standpoint, there will always be ways for a determined and knowledgeable individual to circumvent ‘Chat Control.’ However, these methods will likely be complex and out of reach for the average user.”

So basically, you can’t defeat Chat Control in a technical sense. Or perhaps it could be done, but it’s not exactly feasible.

Will the EU Backdoor Americans’ Phones?

Let’s say I, as an American, visit the EU.

It seems extremely unlikely that the “Chat Control” backdoor to my encrypted apps would still be operational after my return to the United States. But it’s hard to say that to an absolute certainty.

Meanwhile, while you’re in the EU, the government would likely have access to all your information. That’s a huge breach of our privacy, even if it’s only for a little while.

Perhaps we might just start leaving our phones at home. If we visit the EU at all…

Wrap-Up

Stopping child abuse is a very worthy goal. But we can’t be willing to sacrifice all our freedoms in the process.

Reading about Chat Control, I got to thinking…what’s the future for Europe?

Take a look at the present.

Moribund economies. Rock bottom fertility. Minimal innovation. And ever more repressive governments.

It’s not looking good, folks. I don’t know how they pull out of this.

I hope Europeans get involved and put a stop to Chat Control. If they succeed, maybe there’s hope for the Old World yet.

More on tech:

The EU Wants to Break Encryption — Here’s Why That’s a Terrible Idea

Are Hackers After Your Brain? — The Rise of CogSec

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