They made it optional, but they added a lot of things so that everyone would end up adopting it, mainly with fines.
Chat control going further ... tools like nostr:npub1whtn0s68y3cs98zysa4nxrfzss5g5snhndv35tk5m2sudsr7ltms48r3ec will become essential in this shitshow called European Union.
Discussion
It is your duty as a citizen of the world to not comply with terrible laws.
Breaking encryption just because some politician thinks that Orwell's books should be a guide for building a society is weak.
There is no way for them to enforce this because there's no way for them to ban this.
Encryption has and will always exist, and privacy is the most essential right; without privacy you cannot live.
Very well put.
I feel fortunate there are tools to get arround.