DiscoverDCU Digital Law PerspectivesChat Control: The Slippery Slope of Mass Surveillance
Chat Control: The Slippery Slope of Mass Surveillance

Chat Control: The Slippery Slope of Mass Surveillance

Update: 2025-11-14
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[Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions about the prosecution and mechanisms to fight child sexual abuse, which may be distressing to some listeners.]


In this episode of DCU Digital Law Perspectives, host Victor is joined by special guest Patrick Breyer, a renowned German digital rights activist and former MEP. They delve into the EU's controversial "chat control" proposal, a regulation presented as a tool to protect children but one that threatens to dismantle digital privacy for everyone.

Breyer breaks down how the law would force the mass scanning of all our private messages and emails, turning our personal phones into surveillance devices. He explains why this approach is not only ineffective at catching real criminals but also creates severe risks for ordinary citizens, from false accusations to the erosion of free speech and professional secrecy. This is a defining fight for the future of a free and secure internet, and this episode provides a crucial understanding of the high stakes involved.


Addendum: The Current Battle
This discussion is more critical than ever. In a recent development, a new compromise text has been proposed that, despite claims to the contrary, reintroduces mandatory scanning through a legal backdoor, expands the use of unreliable AI surveillance, and threatens to ban anonymous communication online.

Listen to learn what the better alternatives are and how you can make your voice heard.

Host: Victor Henriquez Díaz

Guest: Patrick Breyer

Produced by: DCU Law and Tech Research Cluster, Felipe Alvarez Vega, Victor Henriquez Diaz, Edoardo Celeste and Wiykiynyuy Fogue Leslyarode

Edited by: Felipe Alvarez Vega

Music by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠penguinmusic ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- *Better Day* from Pixabay

Artwork by: Andrea Marrufo Aranda

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Chat Control: The Slippery Slope of Mass Surveillance

Chat Control: The Slippery Slope of Mass Surveillance

DCU Law and Tech Research Cluster