Vitalik Buterin Warns EU’s Chat Control Plan Endangers Privacy and Security

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has issued a sharp warning against the European Union’s proposed “Chat Control” regulation, calling it a direct threat to digital privacy and individual security.

The draft legislation, formally known as the Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse (CSAR), would require messaging platforms — including encrypted services — to scan all user communications for signs of illegal content. While the initiative is being presented as a child protection measure, critics argue that the sweeping surveillance framework risks undermining the very foundations of digital security.

In a post addressing the proposal, Buterin argued that such measures are counterproductive. “You cannot make society secure by making people insecure. We all deserve privacy and security, without inevitably hackable backdoors, for our private communications,” he wrote. He stressed that any attempt to safeguard citizens by weakening encryption leaves individuals more vulnerable to hackers, criminal organizations, and even foreign governments.

According to Buterin, mandatory storage of intercepted data creates a permanent risk. “Intercepted digital messages are a security vulnerability, and there are many easy-to-find stories where mandatory wiretap data collected by one government gets hacked by other governments,” he noted. Instead of pursuing blanket surveillance, Buterin urged policymakers to focus on “common-sense policing improvements” such as preventing the release of repeat offenders.

The Ethereum co-founder also emphasized that citizens should expect the same degree of privacy online as they once enjoyed in physical spaces — whether in private conversations or cash transactions. “We need our physical environments to be secure and we need our digital environments to be secure,” he said.

Criticism of the proposal has been mounting across Europe. A leaked 2024 report revealed that several EU interior ministers sought exemptions for intelligence services, police, and military personnel, effectively shielding themselves from the very surveillance they wish to impose on citizens. For Buterin and other privacy advocates, this double standard highlights the inherent dangers of the plan.

Pratam Rao, co-founder of blockchain security firm QuillAudits, echoed these concerns. “Any surveillance system lawmakers won’t subject themselves to is automatically tyrannical,” he said, adding that policymakers are acknowledging the risks but denying ordinary citizens the same protections.

Opposition to the regulation is growing. According to advocacy group FightChatControl.eu, seven member states — including Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands — have formally rejected the proposal. Meanwhile, 12 others, among them France, Spain, and Denmark, support it, while key nations such as Germany and Italy remain undecided.

The outcome of this debate could shape the future of digital privacy in Europe. For Buterin, the stakes could not be higher: weakening encryption, he argues, does not just endanger individuals but also destabilizes the security of societies built on trust in secure communication.