EU stalemate on child abuse scanning and encryption risks
EU member states have again delayed decisions on proposed online child protection laws that would require platforms to scan images, videos, and links for suspected child sexual abuse material. Campaigners staged a rally in Brussels highlighting victims’ experiences and warning that prolonged negotiations have exposed more children to harm. The Internet Watch Foundation traced roughly two-thirds of detected EU-hosted child abuse webpages last year, while more than 60 million pieces of suspected material were flagged globally.
The latest Danish presidency draft would allow orders for “high-risk” platforms to scan non-text content, including on end-to-end encrypted services such as WhatsApp. Germany opposes the plan, arguing that compelled scanning of private communications violates core privacy principles and creates general suspicion. Privacy advocates and survivor groups warn the measure could chill legitimate speech and help-seeking, likening it to constant monitoring during therapy.
Technical feasibility remains contested. Proponents point to existing malware detection methods, while cryptographers and researchers dispute that AI can reliably distinguish child sexual abuse material from benign content at scale, cautioning that client-side scanning could introduce security vulnerabilities. Signal has threatened to leave the EU market if obligations amount to mass surveillance, and Meta’s expanded encryption appears correlated with fewer reports to U.S. authorities, though Meta remains the top reporter.
A regulatory gap looms as current voluntary derogations permitting proactive scanning under EU privacy rules expire next April. Children’s rights groups argue that without binding obligations covering encrypted environments, platforms will not invest in safer, privacy-preserving detection. Denmark seeks a compromise to balance child protection with privacy and security, but any adopted framework would require further parliamentary negotiations and years to implement.
