Overview
- The temporary EU exception, which ended Saturday, requires Meta, Google and Microsoft to stop automated scans of private chats for child sexual abuse images and videos.
- The European Parliament blocked an extension by a single vote in late March, so blanket screening has no legal basis and EU privacy rules now apply again.
- German officials say the previous reporting pipeline helped process about 60,000 cases in 2024, leading to suspect identifications and the rescue of children.
- Senior figures including Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz, EU digital chief Henna Virkkunen and EPP leader Manfred Weber call the lapse a serious setback and urge swift new proposals.
- Privacy advocates hail the change as a win for confidential messaging and push for app safeguards such as default blocks on stranger contact and auto-hiding of nude images, while police can still seek messages in specific investigations.