Students launch petition against EU's 'ChatControl' proposal

Students For Liberty Malta has launched a parliamentary petition calling for Malta’s MEPs to oppose the European Union’s “ChatControl” proposal. 

This proposal, if enacted, would mandate the scanning of private digital communications across the bloc. 

Controversially, the proposal would oblige platforms which provide encrypted communication services such as WhatsApp and Signal to share users’ private messages. Meanwhile, politicians and certain EU staff members would be exempt from such surveillance.

The European Commission, which came up with the proposal, says the surveillance will be used to fight child abuse material.

Students For Liberty Malta argues that “ChatControl” constitutes a severe threat to fundamental civil liberties, adding that it undermines the fundamental right to privacy, weakens digital security, and sets a “dangerous precedent for mass surveillance” across the European Union.

While the proposal is framed with the intention of combating criminal activity, the student NGO cites widespread expert warnings that the mandatory scanning could introduce vulnerabilities that malicious actors might exploit.

The NGO noted that over 500 cryptographers, security researchers, and scientists spanning 34 countries have already issued warnings that such scanning technologies are prone to false positives, are unreliable, and risk introducing systemic vulnerabilities into Europe’s overall digital infrastructure.

Students For Liberty Malta argues that the proposed exemption creates an unacceptable disparity where ordinary citizens are subject to surveillance while those in positions of power remain protected.

The EU vote on the “ChatControl” proposal is scheduled for October 14th.

The petition has already garnered support, with five Maltese MEPs having already declared their opposition to the proposal.

Students For Liberty Malta has started collecting signatures across Malta, as the petition remains open for signatures until 23 November.

Those interested in signing the petition can do so here.