Tech giants such as Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft have criticized the European Union after a temporary law allowing companies to scan for child sexual abuse material on their platforms expired without extension, creating a legal loophole that security experts warn could lead to a surge in unidentified cases.
This regulation, part of the exemption from the EU's ePrivacy Directive, was introduced in 2021 as a temporary measure. It allowed companies to use automated technology to identify messages and content related to child sexual abuse, including "grooming" and sexual blackmail. However, it expired on April 3 after the European Parliament failed to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns.
In a joint statement, the major tech companies said they would continue to voluntarily scan their platforms for child sexual abuse material, but expressed disappointment at the lack of a new agreement. “We are disappointed by this irresponsible failure to reach an agreement to preserve existing efforts to protect children online,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament stated that it is continuing work on a permanent legal framework to combat online child sexual abuse, but without giving concrete deadlines.
Child protection experts warn that the repeal of this law could significantly reduce reports of abuse. They recall a similar situation in 2021, when reports from EU-based platforms to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) dropped by 58% in 18 weeks.
“When detection tools are disrupted, we lose the visibility that allows us to identify and protect victims,” said John Shehan of NCMEC. “When detection systems stop, abuse doesn’t stop.”
In 2025, NCMEC received over 21 million reports from around the world, including tens of millions of images and videos of suspected abuse.
Experts say the EU's legal loophole could have repercussions beyond Europe, as online crimes are often cross-border. They warn that the phenomenon of "sextortion" could also increase in the absence of strong detection mechanisms.
The debate over this law has been tense for years. Some privacy organizations argue that scanning messages risks violating fundamental rights and leading to mass surveillance, calling it "chat monitoring."
But child protection organizations dispute this position. “Protecting children is not a violation of privacy,” said Hannah Swirsky of the Internet Watch Foundation.
The technology used, according to experts, relies on artificial intelligence that identifies known abusive material through "digital footprints" (hash-es), without the need for humans to view the content.
According to them, the EU is risking leaving free space for online abusers, while it continues negotiations for a new permanent law. /GazetaExpress/
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