The EU appears to be laying the groundwork for a move against data that has received end-to-end encryption after a spate of terrorist attacks in Paris, Vienna and Nice. .

In a joint statement released earlier this month, home affairs ministers from EU member states called on heads of state to "consider the matter of data encryption so that digital evidence can be lawfully collected and used by the competent authorities." .

One, originally published by Politico, framed measures against end-to-end encryption as a way to fight child abuse, suggesting "the fight against this type of illegal content has been the least controversial.".

As set out in July's Security Union Strategy, the bloc is in favor of an approach which "both maintains the effectiveness of encryption in protecting privacy and security of communications, while also providing an effective response to serious crime and terrorism." .

EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove has sought to do this by eschewing a "back-door" approach in favor of what he sees as its "front-door" counterpart, whereby a third party works with, rather than without, the consent of the encryption provider.