European Parliament rejects Chat Control again, but the threat lingers

European Parliament rejects Chat Control again, but the reprieve is only temporary

On 7 July, the European Parliament voted once again on the controversial messaging surveillance proposal known as Chat Control. In a move many describe as a trick, President Roberta Metsola reintroduced the text on the agenda, seeking to exploit holiday absences to secure an absolute majority. However, the rejection prevailed once more, delaying — not burying — what some call «the total victory of proge surveillance».

A vote under suspicion

The 7 July session was surrounded by controversy. According to parliamentary sources, an absolute majority was required for the proposal to be rejected, and the item was added to the agenda after last-minute pressure. Several Spanish MEPs, including Maravillas Abadía (PP) and Isabel Benjumea (Partido Popular), were singled out for having made it possible for the vote to take place under those conditions. Opposition to the text argues that Chat Control amounts to an assault on civil rights and digital privacy.

The counterattack: steganography and hacks

While the political battle continues, privacy advocates point out that even if the measure were approved, the surveillance could be technically circumvented. Techniques such as steganography would allow messages to be hidden inside other files, making mass detection impossible. In an ironic twist, the European Union's own official website was hacked days earlier, leaking thousands of records belonging to the very people pushing the measure. A reminder that total surveillance has blind spots of its own.

A reprieve with an expiry date

After the rejection, most analysts agree the proposal will return. The forces favouring communications surveillance will not give up, and the official narrative insists it is necessary to fight child prono. Yet scepticism is growing: many doubt the measure would be limited to that purpose, noting that politicians and big business leaders would be exempt. For now, citizens can breathe, but with the certainty that the dystopia has only been postponed.