Up to 94 per cent of respondents across several European countries see private online conversations as a right. Many also fear that surveillance by authorities could change what they feel comfortable writing or sharing. The findings come as Brussels reconsiders police access to digital evidence.
Between 88 per cent of respondents in Sweden and 94 per cent in Poland say they have a right to private conversations online, according to research published by the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), a digital rights organisation. Support for judicial oversight is similarly strong. In Sweden, 81 per cent say nobody should access their personal messages without a court order. In Poland, the figure rises to 92 per cent.
The findings come as Brussels debates how far authorities should be allowed to access private communications. The Commission’s roadmap on lawful access to data, presented in June 2025, foresees a Technology Roadmap on Encryption in 2026. The aim is to find ways for law enforcement to access encrypted information without compromising rights.
The debate is also presented in other files, like the proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation, commonly known as Chat Control, which seeks to combat online child sexual abuse using the scanning of online communications. In July, the EU reinstated temporary rules allowing companies to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material until April 2028, excluding end-to-end encrypted communications.
Rand Hammoud, CDT’s director for security, surveillance and human rights, believes “the polling exposes a real gap between the direction of EU policy and what people expect from their private communications: You cannot turn everyone’s messages into an access point for the state in order to investigate crime.”
Distrust beyond party politics
The concern extends beyond whoever holds political power today. A government trusted by voters could be replaced by one they distrust, while the ability to access private conversations would remain. Around two-thirds of respondents in Poland, Ireland and the UK rejected such powers because they did not trust current or future governments to use them. In France, a narrow majority shared that view. Nevertheless, Sweden was more divided, although distrust still outweighed trust.
The question becomes more sensitive when access happens without the person knowing. Asked to imagine police reading their messages without their knowledge or prior court approval, four in five respondents in Ireland and Poland worried about insufficient oversight or safeguards.
Would surveillance change what people say?
Would knowing that authorities could access private conversations change what someone feels comfortable saying? For many respondents, the answer was yes. In Ireland, 68 per cent said they would become more cautious about what they liked, shared or commented. A majority in the UK and Poland felt the same, as did nearly half in France and Sweden.
The consequences could be particularly serious for vulnerable people who depend on confidentiality. Respondents expressed concern about exposing people who rely on domestic violence shelters, abortion services and other forms of social care.
