The European Commission has proposed extending the EU’s interim regulation that allows online communication platforms to voluntarily detect and report child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The current framework, adopted as a temporary measure to allow limited monitoring despite EU e-privacy restrictions, is scheduled to expire in April 2026.
Brussels is seeking to prolong the regulation until April 2028 in order to avoid a legal gap while negotiations continue on a permanent EU legislative framework to combat online child sexual abuse. According to the Commission, the existing system has been instrumental in enabling platforms to identify abusive content, report cases to authorities, and support criminal investigations.
The proposal does not introduce new surveillance powers but simply extends the duration of the current legal exemption that permits companies to use detection technologies on a voluntary basis.
The extension must still be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Privacy advocates and data-protection authorities have nonetheless urged EU lawmakers to ensure stronger safeguards to prevent indiscriminate scanning of private communications and to maintain compliance with EU privacy standards.