Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540302
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 OCTOBER 2025 NEWS Chat Control: Is the EU using child abuse EUROPEAN legislation and Ashton Ku- tcher are not words normally uttered in the same sentence. To many, Kutcher is known for his roles in Two and a Half men, That 70's Show and Dude, Where's my car? But for European law makers, a lobby he used to lead and now supports in the background, Kutcher is the reason be- hind blown up email inboxes, angry citi- zens and calls for a less intrusive Europe. A number of European citizens are up in arms over the proposed law, and while many including Maltese MEPs are against it, the concerns remain. So, what is the Chat Control law? Will it bring down end-to-end encryption? Thorn and its rise In 2009, Ashton Kutcher and fellow actor Demi Moore founded the DNA Foundation. The foundation, which lat- er rebranded to Thorn, is a tech-focused non-profit aimed at fighting child sex abuse. To end such practices, the foun- dation has been developing technology to empower platforms and users to pro- tect children. Fast-forward to 2020, and first reports on Thorn and Kutcher's lobby in Euro- pean fora begin to emerge. As the COV- ID pandemic took over the globe, Thorn and its lobbying, often over looked, be- gan to ramp up. Kutcher was seen speaking publicly about his support to first drafts of the proposed law, with articles on CNN, Eu- ronews and Le Monde. Also in 2020, Thorn was involved in meetings with EU bodies, and was lobby- ing and engaging with decision-makers. To EU institutions, Thorn presents it- self as a charity organisation that fights against child abuse. Meanwhile, the or- ganisation repeatedly brought up its pro- prietary child abuse tracking software in meetings with EU officials. Thorn has continued its lobbying cam- paign ever since. According to a report on its website, the organisation met with 20 EU lawmakers in 2021 alone. Thorn lobbyists have been canvassing the most important digital policy decision makers in Brussels, including staff from Euro- pean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's office. In March 2021, the organisation met staffers of then-Home Affairs Com- missioner Ylva Johansson, who was re- sponsible for the EU legislative proposal against child abuse. What was discussed there remains a secret—he meeting minutes provided by the Commission were heavily redacted. Disclosure would have a negative impact on its internal decision making, the com- mission had argued. In March 2023, European Parliament President and Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola uploaded a photo to her Ins- tagram page with Kutcher after he ad- dressed the European Parliament. Chat control law takes shape The law, known as "chat control," was first put forward in 2022 and remained inactive for much of the next three years until Denmark revived it, putting it back on the agenda when it assumed the EU presidency in July. The proposed legislation would require technology platforms, once ordered by a judge through a detection order, to carry out blanket scans of private chats, mes- sages and emails to detect material linked to child abuse, including pornographic content and grooming attempts by sex- ual predators. This would also apply to encrypted communications, such as WhatsApp messages, which would be scanned on a user's device before encryption. End-to-end encryption is a securi- ty method that keeps communications private by scrambling a message on the KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Nationalist MEP Peter Agius Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba As Europe wrestles with the balance between child protection and privacy, critics warn the proposed Chat Control law could turn private messages into open books for state surveillance