STORY
The Council of the European Union has approved the restoration of temporary rules allowing online service providers voluntarily to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material. The earlier exemption from electronic communications privacy rules expired on 3 April, creating a gap while negotiations continued on a permanent legal framework.
The interim regulation permits providers to resume voluntary activity intended to identify offenders, support investigations and prevent the further distribution of abusive material. Amendments adopted by the European Parliament exclude number independent interpersonal communications that use, have used or will use end to end encryption from the scope of the temporary measure.
The restored arrangements will apply until 3 April 2028 and are expected to enter into force three days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Council and Parliament are continuing negotiations on longer term legislation, which is intended to establish a permanent framework for preventing and combating child sexual abuse online.