Виталик Бутерин: Новый законопроект ЕС угрожает цифровой конфиденциальности Translation: Vitalik Buterin: New EU Bill Threatens Digital Privacy

The proposed EU legislation on «Chat Control» poses a threat to citizens’ right to privacy in digital communications, according to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

«It’s impossible to ensure societal safety by making people insecure. We all deserve privacy and security for our personal communications without the inevitably hackable backdoors,» he emphasized.

His statement was a response to an entrepreneur, Peter Levels, who urged Europeans to oppose mandatory surveillance measures that would require tech platforms to scan private messages for illegal content. Levels warned that this would allow officials access to citizens’ private correspondence.

Buterin criticized the lawmakers’ actions as hypocritical, given their intention to exempt themselves from regulatory oversight. According to EU Reporter, it is expected that interior ministers will exempt chats of intelligence, police, and military personnel, as well as their own communications, from scanning. The publication views this as clear evidence that officials understand that any secrets—including defense-related—could easily fall into the hands of the U.S.

The bill has the support of 15 member states, while six oppose it. The outcome of the vote will largely depend on Germany’s position, experts note.

A trader using the nickname Onur pointed out that the legislation violates the seventh and eighth articles of the EU Charter.

«Here’s the irony: in trying to bolster ‘security,’ lawmakers could actually accelerate the adoption of decentralized Web3 alternatives, where encryption and data sovereignty are already embedded,» he highlighted.

To recall, in April, Buterin described privacy as the foundation of personal freedom and decentralization that protects society.