”The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely.” George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four. Two months left before the UK government requires all content on British citizens' mobile devices to be scanned. Piccadilly Circus, London: Nineteen Eighty-Four was supposed to be a warning, not an instruction manual.

Piccadilly Circus. The London Councils didn’t like our campaign against the upcoming state spyware in the UK. So, first the word ”government” was blacked out. Then the whole message was scrapped. On the other side of the road, though: alive and kicking.

Chat Control 1 is back. Despite the European Parliament voting down the legislation twice this year, the Council of the European Union and parts of the Parliament today managed – through an urgent procedure – to extend it for another two years. The law was originally introduced as temporary legislation, so that its effectiveness could be evaluated. At the end of 2025, the European Commission itself concluded that it was not possible to determine whether the law had any measurable effect. Even so, it has now been pushed through. Some of today's amendments could have stopped the law. And a majority of the voting MEPs wanted to do so. By a margin of 314-276, the Parliament voted to reject the proposal through these amendments. However, since it was an urgent procedure, 361 votes were required. As a result, the majority lost today and Chat Control 1 was passed. The urgent procedure was a dirty play by the Council and parts of the Parliament – it’s a procedure not meant to be used on legislation already rejected by the Parliament. For now, Chat Control 1 will remain in effect. This means that tech companies may continue scanning communications without a warrant or suspicion. However, the real battle is Chat Control 2. Unlike Chat Control 1, it would require all providers to scan communications, and to do so far more extensively than Chat Control 1 ever has.