EU Delays Vote on Chat Monitoring - Berlin Issues Caution against Surveillance Proposals
Internet watchdogs have been pushing for tougher measures against online child exploitation for quite some time. In the month of May, 2022, Commissioner Ylva Johansson proposed making it a legal requirement for internet platforms to scan personal chat messages en masse to identify child abuse content. Currently, services like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat only voluntarily report suspicious content to Brussels.
Privacy advocates, however, view these legislative proposals as a violation of citizens' rights. In March, the German Federal Data Protection Officer, Ulrich Kelber, urged the government to block the EU plans, stating that "mass, random reading of private communications" should be banned.
There was a possibility that a consensus on chat monitoring could be reached in Brussels, with a vote by the Permanent Representatives of the Member States scheduled for Thursday. However, it was revealed at the last minute that the required majority was not present.
The issue has been set aside: Protecting children from "heinous crimes" is still a top priority for the Member States, according to Belgium, which is currently leading the Ministerial Councils. The file might now be passed on to Hungary, which will assume the rotating EU Council presidency on July 1.
