European Union member states have approved a proposal to reinstate a temporary measure allowing Google, Meta and other online platforms to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material without breaching the bloc’s privacy rules.
The endorsement by the 27 EU member states on Thursday comes two weeks after the European Parliament approved the stopgap measure, which is intended to bridge the legal gap while negotiations continue on permanent legislation to combat online child sexual abuse.
The temporary rules, which were in force from 2021 until they expired in April this year, will now remain valid until 3 April 2028.
Irish Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the extension addressed the legal uncertainty created by the expiry of the previous measure.
“With the green light given, we have moved quickly to address the legal gap that existed when the derogation to the ePrivacy Regulation lapsed in April,” O’Callaghan said in a statement.
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EU countries also backed an amendment proposed by lawmakers exempting end-to-end encrypted communications services, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, from the temporary rules.
However, member states stressed that the exemption should not be interpreted as a commitment to exclude encrypted messaging services from any future permanent legislation.
The debate has exposed deep divisions between supporters of stronger online child protection measures and privacy advocates, who argue that expanded monitoring powers could undermine digital privacy and lead to increased surveillance.
The disagreement has stalled efforts to adopt permanent EU rules since the European Commission proposed legislation in 2022.
