Blame game erupts as EU fails to extend child abuse detection rules

 
Children’s rights groups and tech companies are fuming after EU legislators could not agree to extend rules allowing tech companies to continue scanning the internet for child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Parliament and Council failed on Monday to reach agreement on a proposed extension of temporary rules that currently allow tech companies to scan their services for CSAM but are set to expire on 3 April.

The EU’s executive had proposed extending the rules for an additional two years, while a permanent framework – the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR) – is being finalised.

The Commission’s own implementation report on the temporary scanning found that there is insufficient data to assess whether the current rules strike the right balance between effectively detecting CSAM and minimising the impact on fundamental rights like privacy. (...)