Top all-time · #368
Patrick Breyer
Personal blog · patrick-breyer.depoliticssecurityai
Patrick Breyer is a personal blog at patrick-breyer.de about politics, security and ai. Since 2019, 145 different Hacker News readers have linked it 223 times, most often “EU Council to Vote on Chat Scanning Proposal on Thursday”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-09-30, and you can follow it by feed.
Rarely recommended · 0 of 40 sampled comments recommend it?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Patrick Breyer's site for its detailed coverage of the EU Chat Control proposal, including trilogue status, scanning and encryption concerns. Commenters cite it as the main source on the topic.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 40 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Patrick Breyer – Digitaler Freiheitskämpfer und ehemaliger Europaabgeordneter der Piratenpartei Europas Stimme der Privatsphäre und des freien Internets Über mich Ich verteidige die Menschenrechte im Zeitalter der Digitalen Revolution mit Leidenschaft.Seit vielen Jahren bin ich in der
Most-linked posts?
- EU Council to Vote on Chat Scanning Proposal on Thursday31 people · 39 mentions · first linked 2022-12-30
- Europe: The end of the privacy of digital correspondence16 people · 17 mentions · first linked 2021-12-03
- Messaging and chat control7 people · 8 mentions · first linked 2021-05-27
- European Parliament approves mass surveillance of private communication6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2021-07-06
- Let yourself be monitored: EU governments to agree on Chat Control5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2024-05-22
- Chat Control Still Poses High Risks Despite Removal of Mandatory Scanning4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2025-11-18
- EU: Users who refuse scanning to be prevented from sharing photos and links4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2024-06-02
- Chat Control 2.0: EU set to approve end of private messaging, secure encryption4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2023-10-13
- End of "Chat Control": EU Parliament Stops Mass Surveillance in Voting Thriller4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2026-03-26
- /en/poll-72-of-citizens-oppose-eu-plans-to-search-all-private-messages-for-allegedly-illegal-material-and-report-to-the-police/3 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2023-03-27
What Hacker News says?
https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/chat-control-2-0-trilogue-u... > given the constitutions of various EU countries EU law superseded any state law by default and that's by design. Even if the EU law is immoral and dangerous like the Chat Control law. So a country's constitution will not save you if tomorrow all chat apps are doing client side scanning.
Comment linking /en/chat-control-2-0-trilogue-update-no-mass-scanning-deal-for-now-european-parliament-stands-firm-against-search-plans/
on “Mistral Large 4”Submitted European Parliament approves mass surveillance of private communication as a story · 938 points
HN discussion> but so far they are proposals That is false. They are not proposals, they are being actively discussed in trilogues which is way way past proposal stage. Chat control V2 trilogue negotiation was last week and it included mass scanning of messages and private data. Thankfully the EU parliament rejected the idea but every 6 months like clockwork it comes back. The next trilogue is in November. https://www.patrick-br…
Comment linking /en/chat-control-2-0-trilogue-update-no-mass-scanning-deal-for-now-european-parliament-stands-firm-against-search-plans/
on “Mistral Large 4”Submitted Messaging and chat control as a story · 643 points
HN discussionA bit off topic, but I'm amazed about the huge media attention this is getting, while a far more serious precedent is being set in the EU, completely banning all private communications between individuals: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/message-screening/?la... The short version is: all communication providers may include back doors and analyse messages of users with the same excuse. The follow-up is to make…
Comment linking /en/posts/message-screening/?lang=en
on “Apple's child protection features spark concern within its own ranks: sources”Submitted EU to greenlight Chat Control tomorrow as a story · 531 points
HN discussionNo, EU is NOT "all for privacy". I don't know where this myth comes from but I see it repeated here often. 1. EU is pushing for mandatory on-device scanning of all your messages (chat control). The current proposal includes scanning of all videos and images all the time for all citizens. The proposal started with analyzing all text too. The discussions are happening behind close doors. EU Ombudsman has accused EU co…
Comment linking /en/eugoingdark-surveillance-plan-timeline-agenda-background/
on “Apple pulls data protection tool after UK government security row”Submitted Chat control: EU Commission presents mass surveillance plan on May 11 as a story · 507 points
HN discussionThe article is not the original. The original text can be found here: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/european-court-of-human-rig...
Comment linking /en/european-court-of-human-rights-bans-weakening-of-secure-end-to-end-encryption-the-end-of-eus-chat-control-csar-mass-surveillance-plans/
on “European Court of Human Rights bans weakening of secure end-to-end encryption”Submitted EU: Users who refuse scanning to be prevented from sharing photos and links as a story · 316 points
HN discussionI don't know about scanning (that's the goal of this proposal - ChatControl - including scanning of storage*) but ProtectEU involves creating hardware and software backdoors. * https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/ , see the table "The Chat Control 2.0 proposal in detail" Technical experts call on Commissioner Virkkunen for a seat on the table of the European Commission’s Technology Roadmap on encrypt…
Comment linking /en/posts/chat-control/
on “Fight Chat Control”Submitted EU Council to Vote on Chat Scanning Proposal on Thursday as a story · 308 points
HN discussionI don't know about scanning (that's the goal of this proposal - ChatControl - including scanning of storage*) but ProtectEU involves creating hardware and software backdoors. * https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/ , see the table "The Chat Control 2.0 proposal in detail" Technical experts call on Commissioner Virkkunen for a seat on the table of the European Commission’s Technology Roadmap on encrypt…
Comment linking /en/posts/chat-control/
on “Fight Chat Control”Submitted New EU Law Removes Digital Privacy as a story · 295 points
HN discussionIncorrect > ... providers to search all private chats, messages, and emails automatically for suspicious content [1] Even if that were the case, the answer is the Framework phone [1] https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/posts/chat-control/
Comment linking /en/posts/chat-control/
on “Fight Chat Control”Submitted Indiscriminate messaging and chatcontrol: Last chance to protest as a story · 237 points
HN discussionHello! I made this website. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate all the feedback, and have implemented a few changes. A few points worth accentuating to avoid any misunderstandings. It is correct that the current proposal indeed is at the Council level, introduced as a high-priority item by the Danish Presidency. It is not yet with the Parliament. This is important as both need to be in agreement for any legislation…
Comment linking /en/posts/chat-control/
on “Fight Chat Control”Submitted Let yourself be monitored: EU governments to agree on Chat Control as a story · 162 points
HN discussion> Germany is almost as bad, I agree, […] I hope we didn't reach Chines levels by now, and that there is still hope. But yes, we're working hard on that and "like" to reach their level soonish. Our variant of the Ministry of Truth gets shaped out a little more with every year. Since the so called "Netzwerkdurchsuchungsgesetz"¹ we've got really close I guess. But there's already more coming: "Chatkontrolle"²… > […] bu…
Comment linking /en/posts/messaging-and-chat-control/
on “The Big [Censored] Theory”Submitted EU DSA: Industry and government interests prevail over citizens’ digital rights as a story · 153 points
HN discussionPoland, Netherlands, Austria and Luxembourg are against as well: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/council-to-greenlight-chat-... .
Comment linking /en/council-to-greenlight-chat-control-take-action-now/
on “EU Council has withdrawn the vote on Chat Control”Submitted EU doubles down on penalising privacy-friendly and encrypted messaging services as a story · 150 points
HN discussionThis information has definitely been available before [1], though some media might have reported it just yesterday. [1] https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/leak-eu-interior-ministers-...
Comment linking /en/leak-eu-interior-ministers-want-to-exempt-themselves-from-chat-control-bulk-scanning-of-private-messages/
on “EU Council has withdrawn the vote on Chat Control”Submitted EU Parliament commitee approves cash cap and ban on anonymous crypto payments as a story · 116 points
HN discussionPage 36, section 2a here: https://www.patrick-breyer.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/202...
Comment linking /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-04-11-conseil-csam-compromis-9-avril.pdf
on “ChatControl: EU wants to scan all private messages, even in encrypted apps”Submitted Chat Control 2.0 through the back door as a story · 113 points
HN discussionThis is (mostly) about Tech companies' money, namely: - Palantir Technologies - 'not-for-profit' Thorn > The Commission’s failure to identify the list of experts as falling within the scope of the complainant’s public access request constitutes maladministration. [0] > ... the complainant contended that the precision rate of technologies like those developed by the organisation are often overestimated. It is therefo…
Comment linking /en/chat-control-eu-ombudsman-launches-investigation-into-europol/
on “ChatControl: EU wants to scan all private messages, even in encrypted apps”Submitted Full EU chat control proposal attack on digital privacy and encryption as a story · 104 points
HN discussionhttps://www.patrick-breyer.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/sig...
Comment linking /wp-content/uploads/2024/12/signal-2024-12-11-152711-002-2.jpeg
on “EU age verification app to ban any Android system not licensed by Google”Submitted Europe: The end of the privacy of digital correspondence as a story · 87 points
HN discussion
