Vitalik Buterin Criticizes EU's Proposed Chat Control Legislation

According to Cointelegraph, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has expressed strong opposition to the European Union's proposed "Chat Control" legislation, which he believes poses a significant threat to privacy in digital communications. In a recent post shared on X, Buterin criticized the mandatory surveillance measures that would require technology platforms to scan private messages for illegal content. He emphasized the importance of privacy and security in personal communications, stating, "We all deserve privacy and security... for our private communications." Buterin argued that creating backdoors for law enforcement is counterproductive, as they are "inevitably hackable" and compromise the safety of all users. Buterin's comments were in response to entrepreneur Pieter Levels, who urged Europeans to reject the regulation, warning that it could allow officials to access citizens' personal messages. Buterin also highlighted the hypocrisy of lawmakers reportedly seeking to exempt themselves from the Chat Control legislation. He pointed to a report from EU Reporter, which revealed that a leaked draft of the proposed law showed interior ministers aiming to exempt themselves, along with intelligence, police, and military personnel, from the mass surveillance provisions intended to scan private chats. Currently, 15 EU countries support the proposal, but they fall short of the 65% population threshold required for its passage. Germany, holding the pivotal vote, has yet to finalize its stance. If Germany votes in favor, the law is likely to pass; if it abstains or opposes, the legislation is expected to fail. Crypto advocates, including Diode CEO Hans Rempel and Brickken's Elisenda Fabrega, have suggested that the proposal may drive users toward decentralized Web3 platforms, which are designed with privacy as a default feature. Rempel noted that Web3's "not your keys, not your data" ethos resonates with users disillusioned by centralized systems. Fabrega cautioned that such a shift could fragment the EU digital market and diminish its influence on global privacy standards. She also pointed out that the legislation violates Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter, which protect private communications and personal data. Rempel warned of the cybersecurity risks associated with granting governments backdoor access, given their history of data breaches.