Europe Child pornography: EU Parliament votes against "chat control"
A final attempt to retain the current system in the fight against child sexual abuse on the internet has failed. In a vote in Brussels, a majority of MEPs rejected the extension of the voluntary control of chats by online platforms such as Instagram or LinkedIn. The parliamentarians wanted stricter conditions for the exemption from European data protection rules. The transitional regulation will now expire on April 4.
26.03.2026, 14:36
SDA
The exemption from European data protection rules, which is limited until Friday of next week, has so far allowed services and companies such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Microsoft and Google to scan message histories in order to detect and report prohibited depictions of child sexual abuse. This mainly involves images and videos. Data protectionists criticize the possibility of comprehensive scanning.
To protect minors, the extension was vehemently demanded by several parties. Major tech companies such as Meta, TikTok and Snapchat pointed out that otherwise fewer cases of child abuse could be detected. According to the President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, the abolition of the regulation will have "serious negative effects on the possibilities of prosecuting child and youth pornographic content on the internet".
Long-term solution planned
In principle, the EU wants to find a long-term solution for legal provisions to protect children on the internet. However, the Council of the EU member states and the European Parliament still have to negotiate the legal text. Only when both institutions reach an agreement can the new rules come into force. "We hope to reach an agreement with the Parliament as soon as possible in order to limit the negative impact of the legal loophole," said a spokesperson for the Cypriot Council Presidency.
The EU Commission had originally proposed making the controls mandatory in 2022. This also failed due to resistance from the German government. Instead, the EU member states opted for voluntary checks by the apps and platforms, as provided for in the transitional regulation, which is now coming to an end.
The EU Commission had proposed an extension of the transitional regulation so as not to be left completely without regulation during the ongoing negotiations. In a vote two weeks ago, Parliament was still in favor of this - albeit with conditions. For example, the controls should be limited to checking only material that is already known. However, Parliament's subsequent negotiations with EU member states on the project failed. With the current rejection, there is no longer any prospect of a last-minute agreement. 311 MEPs voted against, 228 in favor and 92 abstained.
