From Chat Control to Robot Control: Implications of the Chat Control Proposal for Human-Robot Interaction

TL;DR

This paper examines how the EU's Chat Control proposal could fundamentally alter human-robot interaction by embedding surveillance into robots, raising privacy, security, and ethical concerns.

Contribution

It analyzes the implications of digital surveillance laws on embodied robots, highlighting potential risks and ethical dilemmas in human-robot interaction.

Findings

Surveillance laws could lead to continuous monitoring of robots.

Monitoring mechanisms may create security vulnerabilities.

Regulation may undermine privacy and autonomy in HRI.

Abstract

This paper explores how a recent European Union proposal, the so-called Chat Control, which creates regulatory incentives for providers to implement content detection and communication scanning, could transform the foundations of human-robot interaction (HRI). As robots increasingly act as interpersonal communication channels in care, education, and telepresence, they convey not only speech but also gesture, emotion, and contextual cues. We argue that extending digital surveillance laws to such embodied systems would entail continuous monitoring, embedding observation into the very design of everyday robots. This regulation blurs the line between protection and control, turning companions into potential informants. At the same time, monitoring mechanisms that undermine end-to-end encryption function as de facto backdoors, expanding the attack surface and allowing adversaries to exploit legally induced monitoring infrastructures. This creates a paradox of safety through insecurity: systems introduced to protect users may instead compromise their privacy, autonomy, and trust. This work does not aim to predict the future, but to raise awareness and help prevent certain futures from materialising.