The European Parliament is set to vote again this week on controversial legislation that would allow technology companies to scan online communications for child sexual abuse material. This time, it will be voted under different voting rules, which will make it easier to be approved, thanks to a political move by the European People’s Party.
A legal framework that expired on 3 April has allowed platforms such as WhatsApp and Messenger to take voluntary measures derogating from e-privacy rules to identify users suspected of sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
While a new version of the law is being discussed, a temporary extension of this scheme was proposed by the European Commission and rejected by the European Parliament in March, with 311 votes against, 228 in favour and 92 abstentions.
The legislation has been dubbed "chat control" by its critics, due to its privacy implications, particularly its effect on end-to-end encrypted communications.
“Children are protected by smart enforcement, not by scanning the private messages of millions of innocent people,” Greens/EFA MEP Ignazio Marino told Euronews, defining the law as a “mass surveillance”.
