Tusile
Chat Control is back.
Tusile still doesn’t scan.
The EU just revived its message-scanning rules until 2028. Here’s what Chat Control actually does, what it doesn’t, and where a self-hosted chat app like Tusile stands — in plain language, no scare tactics.
What is “Chat Control”?
“Chat Control” is the nickname for two different EU measures aimed at detecting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in private messages. They get mixed up constantly, and the difference matters:
Chat Control 1.0
A derogation from the EU’s ePrivacy rules (Regulation 2021/1232) that makes it legal for providers to voluntarily scan private messages for CSAM. It forces nothing. A provider that doesn’t scan has no obligations under it.
Chat Control 2.0
The proposed CSA Regulation that could order providers to scan (“detection orders”). Parliament and Council have disagreed for years; talks continue and it is not law as of July 2026.
How we got here
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July 2021
The EU adopts Regulation 2021/1232, a “temporary” derogation letting messaging providers voluntarily scan for CSAM.
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May 2022
The Commission proposes Chat Control 2.0 — mandatory scanning via detection orders. It has been deadlocked between Parliament and Council ever since.
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March 2026
The European Parliament votes against extending the voluntary-scanning derogation without safeguards; negotiations with the Council break down.
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April 2026
The derogation lapses. For three months, voluntary mass scanning of private messages has no legal basis in the EU.
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9 July 2026
Parliament fails to reach the 361 votes needed to block a fast-tracked replacement (314 vote to reject). Voluntary scanning is legal again, currently set to run until 2028.
Where Tusile stands
We don’t scan your messages. Full stop.
Chat Control 1.0 is opt-in for providers, and Tusile does not opt in. No CSAM-scanning partnerships, no content mining for ads, no AI training on your conversations. There is no scanner to switch on.
Self-hosted communities live on your hardware.
When you self-host a Tusile community server, channels, messages, files, and voice run on a box you control. There is no big centralized platform sitting between your community and its conversations — because the platform is yours.
Scanning pressure targets centralized giants.
Voluntary scanning in the EU today is done by large centralized platforms on their own servers. Moving your community off those platforms — onto infrastructure you run — is the most direct way to take your chats out of that pipeline.
Straight talk (because trust needs it)
One-to-one direct messages are end-to-end encrypted. They are locked on your device before they leave it, with a key we never hold. What reaches our server is ciphertext we cannot open — not because we promise not to look, but because we cannot.
Here is what that does not cover, because this is the part most apps leave out. Community channels are not end-to-end encrypted, and neither are group direct messages. Messages you sent before turning it on stay as they were. No encryption hides metadata: we can still see who you message, when, and how often. And if you report a message to us, its text is sent to us so we can read it. That is the whole list.
What we can say plainly today: nothing in Tusile reads, scans, or mines your message content — and the current Chat Control rules don’t require us to, because they only permit scanning, they don’t mandate it.
Chat Control FAQ
Does Chat Control force apps to scan my messages?
No. The rules in force in 2026 are a permission, not an obligation. Providers may voluntarily scan; providers that don’t scan — like Tusile — have nothing to switch on and nothing to comply with under the derogation.
What exactly happened on 9 July 2026?
The old derogation had lapsed in early April 2026 after Parliament refused to extend it. The Council fast-tracked a replacement, and blocking it required an absolute majority of 361 MEPs. Only 314 voted to reject, so it passed — voluntary scanning is legal again, currently until 2028.
Is Chat Control 2.0 (mandatory scanning) coming?
It’s been proposed since 2022 and remains stalled: the Council has pushed for mandatory detection, Parliament has rejected suspicionless scanning, and trilogue talks continue. If that changes, this page will change with it.
Does self-hosting put my community outside Chat Control?
EU communications rules are aimed at providers offering services to the public, normally for remuneration. If you run a free Tusile community server for your friends, your club, or your guild, you’re running your own infrastructure — there’s no third-party platform in the loop to do any scanning. (This is context, not legal advice.)
Is Tusile end-to-end encrypted?
Yes, for one-to-one direct messages — see the straight-talk box above. Not for community channels, not for group direct messages, and not for anything sent before you turned it on. It also does not hide who you talk to or when. We’d rather give you that list than the vague “military-grade encryption” copy you’ll find elsewhere.
Your community. Your server. No scanner.
Spin up a free Tusile server in about ten seconds, or self-host the whole thing on a $5 VPS and keep every message on hardware you own.
Create my server or read the self-hosting guide →This page is a plain-language summary written by the Tusile team, last updated 14 July 2026. It is not legal advice. Primary sources: Regulation (EU) 2021/1232 on EUR-Lex, the European Parliament’s press room, and ongoing coverage of the CSA Regulation negotiations. If you spot an inaccuracy, tell us and we’ll fix it.