Chat Control: Where Europe really stands… and why privacy remains more essential than ever

For several years now, the European project nicknamed "Chat Control" has fueled a major debate between two legitimate objectives: the fight against child sexual abuse material online and the protection of citizens' privacy.

But between announcements, rumors, and the various versions of the text, it has become difficult to know what has actually been adopted.

Chat Control 1.0 and Chat Control 2.0: two different texts

The first source of confusion is that there are in reality two distinct mechanisms.

The first, often referred to as Chat Control 1.0, is a temporary derogation from the ePrivacy regulation allowing certain service providers to continue voluntarily detecting known child sexual abuse material on their platforms. It is not a general obligation to monitor private communications, but an authorization left to platforms that wish to implement such mechanisms.

This derogation was ultimately extended until 2028, to give European institutions time to reach an agreement on a permanent framework.

The second text, often referred to as Chat Control 2.0 or CSAR (Child Sexual Abuse Regulation), is far more ambitious. Its objective is to create a permanent European framework to combat child sexual abuse online.

It is also this text that raises the most serious concerns, particularly regarding end-to-end encryption and the risk of private communications analysis.

Where do we stand today?

To date, no definitive text has been adopted imposing generalized surveillance of end-to-end encrypted messaging services.

Discussions are still ongoing between the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliament. Several versions of the text have been proposed, amended, criticized, or rejected.

In other words:

• the debate is still ongoing;
• nothing has been definitively decided regarding encrypted messaging;
• several Member States remain divided on the technical solutions under consideration.

It is therefore important to separate facts from the many rumors circulating on the Internet.

End-to-end encryption remains essential

End-to-end encryption is today one of the best ways to protect:

• individuals;
• businesses;
• journalists;
• lawyers;
• healthcare professionals;
• associations;
• and more broadly, all European citizens.

It ensures that only the correspondents can read the exchanged messages.

Even the messaging provider does not hold the keys required to decrypt conversations.

At OZAPAY, privacy is a design choice

At OZAPAY, we have chosen to integrate a truly end-to-end private messaging.

Messages are encrypted directly on users' devices before being sent.

In concrete terms:

• ✅ OZAPAY cannot read your conversations.
• ✅ Our servers do not hold the decryption keys.
• ✅ Only the participants in a conversation can access its content.
• ✅ Your privacy remains in your hands.

We believe that a modern financial application must protect both your assets and your communications.

Trust above all

Fighting criminal content is a necessity.

Protecting privacy is another.

These two objectives must not be opposed but reconciled through proportionate technical, legal, and regulatory solutions.

At OZAPAY, we will continue to develop technologies that respect privacy, security, and European digital sovereignty.

Because a true Super App does not only protect your money.

It also protects your privacy.