VPN services may soon become a new target of EU lawmakers after being deemed a "key challenge"
For the first time, an EU expert group has explicitly mentioned VPN services as "key challenges" to the investigative work of law enforcement agencies, alongside encrypted devices, apps, and new communications operators.
Known as the High-Level Group (HLG), the expert group was tasked by the EU Council in June 2023 to develop a strategic plan "on access to data for effective law enforcement."
The HLG's first set of recommendations leaked to the public in June last year. The goal was simple – make the digital devices we use every day, from smartphones and smart homes to IoT devices and even cars, legally and technically monitorable at all times by law enforcement bodies.
Commenting on this plan, Mullvad VPN CEO Jan Jonsson told TechRadar at the time: "It would mean total surveillance and that Europe's inhabitants carry state spyware in their pockets."
The final wording of the LHG report from March 13, 2025, shows not much has changed from the original ethos. Yet, the recommendations on achieving"lawful data access by design" look more refined.
