At Unshakled Inc., our mission is clear: to defend digital freedom through secure technologies, education, and advocacy. Today, we’re sounding the alarm on the European Union’s Protect EU strategy—a plan that, while cloaked as a shield against cybercrime, poses a grave threat to privacy, anonymity, and the very foundation of secure communication online. As a non-profit dedicated to empowering individuals in the digital age, we believe it’s critical to unpack what Protect EU means for you—whether you’re in the EU or beyond—and why it demands our collective concern.
What is Protect EU?
Launched as part of the EU’s broader security agenda, Protect EU is a framework aimed at bolstering defenses against cyberthreats, from child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to terrorism and organized crime. On the surface, these are noble goals—who wouldn’t want a safer digital world? But dig into the details, and a troubling picture emerges. Recent reports, including a revealing piece from Reclaim The Net on April 4, 2025, expose how Protect EU embeds plans for “lawful access” to encrypted communications. In plain terms, this is a backdoor to end-to-end encryption (E2EE)—the technology that keeps your messages, emails, and files private from everyone but the intended recipient.
This isn’t a new fight. The EU has flirted with anti-encryption measures before, notably through the controversial “Chat Control” proposal (formally the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation). But Protect EU takes it further, framing mass surveillance as a necessary trade-off for security. It’s a strategy that doesn’t just stop at Europe’s borders—global platforms like Signal, WhatsApp, and Proton could be forced to comply, affecting users worldwide.
Why Should We Be Concerned?
From a privacy and anonymity perspective, Protect EU is a red flag for several reasons:
- Erosion of End-to-End Encryption
E2EE is the gold standard for secure communication. It ensures that only you and your recipient can read your messages—no government, hacker, or tech company can peek inside. Protect EU’s push for backdoors or pre-encryption content scanning (as floated in a June 2024 CSO Online report) guts this protection. Once a backdoor exists, it’s a vulnerability ripe for exploitation—not just by authorities, but by cybercriminals, authoritarian regimes, or anyone with the skills to crack it. For activists, journalists, and everyday people relying on anonymity, this is a direct threat to safety and freedom. - Mass Surveillance by Default
The EU’s plan isn’t about targeting specific threats—it’s about blanket monitoring. Proposals tied to Protect EU, like device-side scanning algorithms (Forbes, May 7, 2024), would turn your phone or laptop into a snitch, analyzing everything before it’s even encrypted. This isn’t “lawful access”; it’s a dragnet that assumes guilt until proven otherwise. For those who value anonymity—whether to escape surveillance states or simply to live privately—this is a dystopian shift. - Global Ripple Effects
The EU isn’t an island. If Protect EU succeeds, tech giants will face a stark choice: weaken security for everyone or abandon the EU market. History shows they often bend rather than break—think Apple’s iCloud concessions in China. A weakened E2EE standard in Europe could become the norm everywhere, undermining digital freedom far beyond the EU’s 27 member states. - A Slippery Slope
Today, it’s CSAM and cybercrime. Tomorrow, it could be political dissent or “misinformation”—terms that shift with the winds of power. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in February 2024 that weakening E2EE violates fundamental rights (Patrick Breyer, Feb 14, 2024), yet Protect EU presses on. Once the infrastructure for surveillance is built, it rarely stays confined to its original purpose.
Why This Matters to Unshakled Inc.
At Unshakled, we see digital freedom as a cornerstone of personal autonomy. Privacy isn’t a luxury—it’s a right. Anonymity isn’t a shield for criminals; it’s a lifeline for the vulnerable. Protect EU’s approach clashes with our core belief that secure technologies, like E2EE, are non-negotiable tools for empowerment. When governments chip away at these tools, they don’t just compromise security—they dismantle the trust that underpins a free internet.
What Can We Do?
The fight isn’t over. Resistance is growing—Germany and Finland have pushed back, and public outcry has delayed similar EU proposals before (Wired, 2023). Here’s how you can join us:
- Educate Yourself: Learn how E2EE works and why it matters. Share resources like this blog with your network.
- Advocate: Support organizations like Unshakled Inc. that lobby for digital rights. Amplify your voice on platforms like X—hashtags like #ProtectE2EE are gaining traction.
- Use Secure Tech: Adopt tools that prioritize privacy, like Signal or ProtonMail, and encourage others to do the same. Every user strengthens the case for E2EE.
Protect EU may promise safety, but it risks delivering a surveillance state instead. At Unshakled Inc., we’re committed to ensuring that digital freedom doesn’t become collateral damage. Join us in defending the right to privacy and anonymity—because once they’re gone, they’re nearly impossible to reclaim.
Unshakled Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to defending digital freedom through secure technologies, education, and advocacy.
