Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has openly opposed the European Union’s controversial “Chat Control” initiative, arguing that the plan poses a direct threat to digital privacy.
In a post shared on X this Saturday, Buterin denounced the proposal, which would compel tech companies to scan private conversations in search of illegal material. “We all deserve privacy and security in our personal communications,” he wrote, stressing that undermining privacy in the name of safety only weakens society.
According to Buterin, creating surveillance backdoors for authorities is fundamentally flawed, since such access points are “inevitably hackable” and could compromise everyone’s digital safety. His remarks came in response to entrepreneur Pieter Levels, who urged Europeans to push back against the regulation and warned of state overreach into personal messaging.
Lawmakers accused of double standards
Buterin also took aim at EU officials who, according to leaked documents, are seeking to exempt themselves from the very rules they want to impose on the public. He highlighted a report from EU Reporter showing that interior ministers, along with intelligence, military, and police personnel, could be excluded from the surveillance requirements. “The fact that government officials want to exempt themselves from their own law is telling,” Buterin noted.
At present, 15 EU member states back the legislation, but the bloc still falls short of the 65% population threshold required to push it through. Germany remains the key swing vote — if it supports the measure, passage is likely; if it abstains or votes against, the proposal could collapse.
Push toward Web3 alternatives
The debate has also reignited discussions within the crypto space. Web3 advocates, including Diode CEO Hans Rempel and Brickken’s Elisenda Fabrega, argue that the “Chat Control” plan could accelerate migration toward decentralized platforms where privacy is built in by default.
Rempel emphasized the Web3 principle of “not your keys, not your data,” saying it appeals to users losing trust in centralized services. Fabrega added that such a move could weaken the EU’s role in shaping global privacy standards and lead to a fractured digital environment.
She also warned that the legislation conflicts with Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter, which guarantee the protection of private correspondence and personal data. Rempel, meanwhile, pointed to governments’ history of data leaks, stressing that giving them privileged access to encrypted systems only multiplies the risks.
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