Overview
- The temporary EU waiver that let services scan private messages for suspected child sexual abuse material will lapse after negotiators failed to reach a compromise.
- Lawmakers in the European Parliament backed a time-limited extension to August 3, 2027 with scanning restricted to suspects and already identified or reported material.
- Member states resisted those limits after previously favoring a broader, continuing voluntary regime, and the Commission’s 2022 push for mandatory scanning also failed to gain consensus.
- A Cypriot Council presidency spokesperson warned of a legal gap affecting efforts to rescue victims and prosecute offenders as companies like Meta, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Yubo halt current voluntary scans in the EU.
- Police expect fewer leads routed via the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and pressure increases on ongoing trilogue talks over a permanent framework that remains contested over scope and encryption.