This week, the European Parliament again decided to temporarily extend rules allowing providers and online platforms to detect online correspondence related to the sexual abuse of children.
This provisional permission is intended to allow time for negotiating a definitive European law. Without the extension, technology companies would no longer be permitted to monitor their customers' communications for this type of material.
Privacy
According to Parliament, the measure serves as a bridge until the European Union establishes a permanent legal framework. Negotiations on this have been ongoing for some time. A major stumbling block is several EU countries’ desire to be allowed to unlock encrypted messages, but a majority in the European Parliament consider that too great a violation of privacy.
Promotion
MEPs emphasize that measures must remain targeted and proportionate. According to them, the goal is to combat abuse without systematically monitoring all digital communications of citizens.
Therefore, according to Parliament, voluntary scanning must not be applied to end-to-end encrypted communications. Also, certain types of data are not allowed to be analyzed.
Only specific
Furthermore, the detection technology must be limited to material that has already been identified as abusive material or that law enforcement agencies have flagged as possibly suspicious or criminal.
Additionally, measures must target users for whom there is reasonable suspicion of involvement in the production of child pornography. Within the European Parliament, there is division over the approach. Some MEPs support the temporary extension, while others prefer a definitive law that allows targeted investigative measures as soon as possible.