The EU will decide, and the regulations may cover Norway? Dispute over private chat control
Norwegians may be subject to EU regulations allowing the scanning of private messages, photos, and files. This concerns the Chat Control 2.0 project, which the European Union has been working on since 2022. If the regulation is adopted, it will likely also apply to Norway through the European Economic Area (EEA).
This also concerns private chats and photos.
Fot. Pexels
The decision will be made outside Norway. However, its effects may affect millions of messenger and data storage service users in the country, as the project has been deemed significant for the EEA. The next vote in the EU is scheduled for September.
Chat Control 2.0 is intended to combat the sexual exploitation of children online. The system is to automatically analyze private messages, photos, and files, and content considered potentially illegal will be sent for further manual review. In Norway, the project is causing a dispute between the police, security experts, and the data protection authority.
Chat Control 2.0 is intended to combat the sexual exploitation of children online. The system is to automatically analyze private messages, photos, and files, and content considered potentially illegal will be sent for further manual review. In Norway, the project is causing a dispute between the police, security experts, and the data protection authority.
Norwegians may be subject to control. Private messages at the center of the dispute
The new regulations may also apply to messengers used daily in Norway. The project included the possibility of controlling encrypted messages in services such as WhatsApp and Signal, which would mean analyzing them even before sending. Such a solution is opposed by experts. Signal has even announced the possibility of withdrawing its operations from Europe if the regulations allow the scanning of encrypted communication.
Tjerand Silde from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) warns of the consequences for data security. He is one of over 800 experts from 37 countries who signed an appeal against Chat Control 2.0, pointing, among other things, to the risks associated with scanning users' devices. Silde believes that such a solution could weaken the confidentiality of communication. He also points out that creating the technical possibility of control could mean the creation of a vulnerability that could be exploited for other purposes.
Tjerand Silde from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) warns of the consequences for data security. He is one of over 800 experts from 37 countries who signed an appeal against Chat Control 2.0, pointing, among other things, to the risks associated with scanning users' devices. Silde believes that such a solution could weaken the confidentiality of communication. He also points out that creating the technical possibility of control could mean the creation of a vulnerability that could be exploited for other purposes.
The new regulations have become the subject of dispute in Norway and the EU.Photo: Fotolia
Norwegian police see benefits. Datatilsynet warns against mass surveillance
Norwegian police, on the other hand, point to the scale of sexual crimes against children online. Erlend Røyset Riise from the Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) says that the services receive several thousand reports each year via the American National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The EU wants to create its own center operating on similar principles. According to Riise, this could mean more information and better data for Norwegian police investigations.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) takes a much more skeptical stance. Lawyer Svein Gjørtz points out that citizen control should be based on specific suspicion, whereas Chat Control 2.0 could lead to the monitoring of a large number of people without such grounds. Datatilsynet also points to the risk of errors by automatic systems. An innocent photo of a child sent to a family member could be mistakenly flagged, and the consequence could be a warning or blocking of the user's account.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) takes a much more skeptical stance. Lawyer Svein Gjørtz points out that citizen control should be based on specific suspicion, whereas Chat Control 2.0 could lead to the monitoring of a large number of people without such grounds. Datatilsynet also points to the risk of errors by automatic systems. An innocent photo of a child sent to a family member could be mistakenly flagged, and the consequence could be a warning or blocking of the user's account.
Norway may formally request exceptions or special conditions when implementing regulations through the EEA. However, in July 2025, the Norwegian government supported not introducing such reservations regarding the extension of existing regulations. The final shape of Chat Control 2.0 is still undecided, and its significance for Norwegians will depend on the outcome of further work and the September vote in the EU.
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