Twenty EU tech companies have written to ministers across the European Union urging them not to support a proposed regulation on child sexual abuse that could undermine the security of internet services that rely on end-to-end encryption. The companies, which include encrypted email and messaging providers, warn that the proposals by the EU Commission would “negatively impact children’s privacy and security” and could have “dramatic unforeseen consequences” for cyber-security. Their open letter, published today, warns that the European Commission’s draft regulation, which requires the mass scanning of encrypted communications, will create security vulnerabilities that will put citizens and businesses at greater risk, if they are implemented in EU law. The letter aims to end an impasse between member states, the European Commission and the European Parliament, which disagree on whether indiscriminate encrypted messages is a proportionate and workable response to concerns about child safety.