Why we built this page
Public debate often compresses several EU files into one label: "Chat Control". The nickname is widely used, but it is not the official title, and it can blur the difference between a temporary ePrivacy derogation and the proposed permanent framework for preventing and combating child sexual abuse online. We built the page to keep those tracks separate and make their current status easier to verify.
Two legislative tracks, clearly separated
The permanent proposal, file 2022/0155(COD), covers provider risk assessments, mitigation duties, supervisory structures, and the contested detection-order mechanism. It remains under negotiation and has not been adopted.
The separate interim file, 2025/0429(COD), concerns the temporary ePrivacy derogation sometimes called "mini Chat Control". Parliament adopted amendments on 9 July 2026. The file now returns to the Council, while the previous derogation has already lapsed.
Official sources first
The tracker is built around European Commission material, EUR-Lex procedure records, Parliament's Legislative Observatory, Council documents, and official EDPB and EDPS analysis. Press releases are treated as status signals; the underlying procedure files and legal texts remain the reference points.
What builders should monitor
- Which services and communication features fall within scope
- How risk assessment and mitigation duties develop
- Whether encrypted communications receive explicit protection
- How detection, reporting, redress, and authority workflows are defined
- Whether Council accepts Parliament's interim amendments or conciliation follows
- The dates on which any final rules enter into force and become applicable
A tracker, not a verdict
The objective of combating online child sexual abuse is not in dispute. The difficult questions concern effectiveness, proportionality, privacy, cybersecurity, fundamental rights, and encryption. The page presents those competing considerations without treating a proposal, negotiating position, or press release as final law. It is an informational resource, not legal advice.