Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has issued a strong critique of the European Union’s bill that proposes monitoring and scanning users’ personal messages to detect prohibited content. According to Buterin, such initiatives pose a serious threat to digital privacy and fundamental human rights.
This is reported by Finway
Threat to Digital Security and Privacy
In his position, Buterin emphasized that creating special “backdoors” for police and law enforcement not only undermines the basic principles of private messaging but also weakens the security of all participants in the digital environment. He stressed that such mechanisms, designed to access personal chats, “inevitably become targets for malicious actors,” threatening both ordinary users and law-abiding citizens.
“You cannot make society safe by making people vulnerable. We all deserve privacy and security, without backdoors that can inevitably be exploited, for our private communications. What government officials want is to free themselves from their own laws, which is…”
Expert Reactions and Possible Consequences
Entrepreneurs and experts have also opposed the initiative, noting that the bill contains provisions that exempt officials, military personnel, and intelligence agency employees from scrutiny. Buterin viewed this as a clear display of hypocrisy. Reports indicate that the initiative has already garnered support from 15 EU countries, but a larger majority is needed for its adoption, with Germany holding the decisive vote.
Opponents of the bill point to violations of Articles 7 and 8 of the EU Charter, which guarantee the protection of private life and personal data. They emphasize that mass scanning of personal chats contradicts the European tradition of protecting citizens from excessive state interference.
Some analysts believe that such initiatives could accelerate users’ transition to decentralized Web3 platforms. Diode CEO Hans Rempel highlighted that the slogan “not your keys — not your data” takes on new meaning in light of the threats posed by centralized services. Brickken representative Elisenda Fabrega warned that the passage of the law could weaken Europe’s influence on international digital privacy standards.