Data Privacy
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Data Security
EU Justice and Home Affairs Council Halts Voting, Sees Opposition
A European content scanning proposal intended to enhance online child safety stalled after German lawmakers voiced opposition and member states canceled a planned vote on the measure’s adoption.
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The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council was set to vote Tuesday on Chat Control, which would require online service providers to scan communications and files on users devices for child sexual abuse material. The proposal has provoked criticism over its invasiveness since it was first introduced by the European Commission in 2022 (see: EU’s LIBE Rejects Mass Content Scanning in CSAM Proposal).
The Danish presidency has made it a priority to pass Chat Control during its turn at the head of the European Union. Previous iterations of the proposal put forward by Hungary and Belgium failed due to lack of consensus among member states.
“The CSAM proposal is no longer on the agenda of the meeting of the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs, which will take place Monday and Tuesday in Luxembourg,” a EU Justice and Home Affairs spokesperson told Information Security Media Group.
Privacy rights organizations and chat app providers Signal and Threema have argued the proposal would lead to arbitrary surveillance and increased hacking risks. “Privacy is a human right, and we believe that internet users should be able to exchange thoughts and ideas without being tracked by companies or monitored by governments,” a Threema spokesperson told ISMG. “We feel that in its current form, Chat Control does not align with basic human rights the EU acknowledges.”
The council’s cancelation was likely due to German opposition, said Ella Jakubowska, head of policy at European Digital Rights (see: Breach Roundup: EU ‘Chat Control’ a Tough Sell in Germany).
Had Germany supported the proposal, the regulation would have advanced to final trilogue negotiations between the Council, Parliament and the Commission. The Netherlands and Poland are among states that have opposed Chat Control, while France and Ireland are among the countries that back it.
The EU Home Affairs spokesperson said the Danish presidency is likely to reintroduce the proposal toward the end of the year. On Friday, ministers from 27 European countries, led by the Danish presidency, signed a declaration stating that a “legislation must be effectively implemented” to ensure online child safety.
“We need ‘digital bouncers’ to ensure that the internet is a safe place to be and that children are not granted access when they are not old enough. It is crucial that we stand strong together in Europe if we want to make a real difference,” said Caroline Stage, Denmark’s Minister for Digital Affairs.
