Few EU legislative initiatives in recent years have been as controversial as the so-called "Chat Control" — officially the European Commission's proposed CSAM Regulation (Child Sexual Abuse Material). Since the first draft in 2022, the proposal has been negotiated in various versions in the Council of the EU and the European Parliament, repeatedly postponed and, in parts, significantly watered down. As of today, there is no final, binding law.
Chat Control 1.0: What Actually Applies Right Now
Important for context: the interim regulation currently in force (often called "Chat Control 1.0") only allows providers to voluntarily scan unencrypted communication — for example in traditional chat or email services without end-to-end encryption. Client-side scanning of content that is already end-to-end encrypted before it is sent is not covered by it.
The far more contentious version debated since 2022 ("Chat Control 2.0") aimed to change exactly that: an obligation to scan content even in E2E-encrypted services such as Signal or WhatsApp, directly on the device before encryption. So far this proposal has repeatedly failed for lack of a majority in the EU Council and was most recently watered down further — mandatory scanning of E2E services is currently not part of the applicable law.
The Real Protection: Use End-to-End Encryption
That is precisely why the simplest and most effective measure is to use only services with genuine end-to-end encryption — first and foremost Signal and Threema. Both encrypt messages on your device before they ever leave the network, which means they do not fall under the currently permitted voluntary scanning of unencrypted services.
A SaferPhone comes with Signal already preinstalled and fully set up. Threema or other E2E-encrypted alternatives can be installed at any time via F-Droid or Aurora Store.
What a SaferPhone Adds Beyond That
Honesty matters to us here: should a mandatory scanning rule for E2E services ever be adopted after all, it would technically apply at the level of the individual app — not the operating system. A GrapheneOS device therefore does not automatically make a legally mandated app "immune." What a SaferPhone does give you, however, is genuine control and freedom of choice:
- Free choice of apps instead of a forced ecosystem: Without Google Play Services, you are not tied to a central, closed distribution platform. Through F-Droid and Aurora Store you install whatever you want — including open-source alternatives whose code is publicly auditable.
- Auditable software: GrapheneOS itself, as well as Signal and Vanadium, are open source. Security researchers worldwide can review the code — changes to how it works cannot be slipped in secretly without being noticed.
- No Google-side pre-analysis: On a standard Android device, Google services run in the background and already collect metadata and usage patterns. On a SaferPhone, this attack surface is eliminated entirely.
- Sandboxed Profile: Even if a single app were compromised or forced into excessive data access, GrapheneOS's profile isolation keeps it separated from the rest of your data.
- Hardware modifications as a last resort: Anyone who wants to rule out even the physical possibility of camera or microphone recording can opt for the irreversible hardware removal — regardless of what happens at the software level.
Conclusion
For now, simply choosing the right messenger is enough: anyone who consistently relies on Signal or Threema is not affected by the Chat Control regulation currently in force. A SaferPhone makes this choice easier and ensures that you are not, at the same time, still giving away data through Google services running in the background. Should the legal situation change in the future, the free app choice of a SaferPhone gives you the option to switch to trustworthy alternatives at any time.
We are following the development of the Chat Control legislation and keep this article up to date when relevant changes occur. This article is not a substitute for legal advice — it describes the current state of the debate to the best of our knowledge.
More on this topic: VOID — the encrypted messenger from SaferPhone