Civil rights activist Dr. Patrick Breyer warns of an unprecedented assault on encrypted communications ahead of pivotal EU meetings this weekend. The former Member of the European Parliament describes a coordinated effort to resurrect mass surveillance measures that the Parliament previously rejected, targeting both the temporary Chat Control 1.0 and permanent Chat Control 2.0 regulations.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is allegedly attempting to override her own Parliament's March rejection of Chat Control 1.0, with leaked reports indicating the Council will meet Friday to force adoption despite democratic opposition. Breyer calls this move a 'blatant disregard for democratic processes' that betrays European values and institutional procedures.

Simultaneously, Monday's trilogue negotiations on Chat Control 2.0 could produce fatal concessions including mandatory mass scanning of private messages, warrantless detection orders without court oversight, and requirements for age verification that would effectively end anonymous communications across the EU.

In response, the civil society platform fightchatcontrol.eu has relaunched with tools enabling citizens to immediately email EU lawmakers. The campaign emphasizes targeted, evidence-based investigations and security-by-design approaches rather than broad algorithmic scanning that risks criminalizing innocent communications. Breyer urges immediate public pressure before these measures become irreversible.