Signal's President, Meredith Whittaker, has voiced criticism against a revised European Union proposal known as the Chat Control law. Originally introduced in 2022, the legislation aimed to mandate messaging apps to create backdoors in end-to-end encrypted messages. The updated draft now proposes "upload moderation" as an alternative method to combat digital child exploitation materials.

Whittaker argues that "upload moderation" is merely a new tactic aimed at undermining encryption, potentially exposing private chats to hackers and adversarial states. She disputes claims that such measures won't weaken encryption, emphasizing the crucial role of end-to-end encryption in safeguarding privacy amidst increasing state and corporate surveillance.

Under the revised Chat Control law proposal, telecom service providers would implement "upload moderation" to detect and prevent child exploitation materials. This could involve scanning private chats against government databases or using AI models to identify inappropriate content.

However, Whittaker contends that these measures are mere attempts to circumvent encryption expertise. Whether through surveillance systems pre-encryption or other means, she asserts that any compromise in the process creates vulnerabilities exploitable by malicious actors.

Signal, renowned for its use of elliptic curve cryptography in ensuring end-to-end encryption for messages, audio, and video services, had previously hinted at leaving the UK market due to concerns over legislation potentially allowing backdoor access to encryption services. The app has also embraced cryptocurrencies, following Telegram's lead, and has been accepting donations in Bitcoin, Ether, and other digital currencies to support the Signal Technology Foundation since March 2021.