EU restores temporary child safety rules online

The European Council has approved the reinstatement of a temporary regulation allowing online service providers to continue voluntarily detecting, reporting and removing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) while negotiations on a permanent EU framework remain ongoing.

The regulation creates a temporary exception to certain electronic communications privacy rules, allowing providers to use voluntary technologies to detect child sexual abuse material and support criminal investigations. The measure is intended to prevent a legal gap after the previous framework expired and will remain in force until April 2028.

Amendments adopted by the European Parliament exclude certain number-independent interpersonal communications where end-to-end encryption applies, has applied or will apply. The Council emphasised that these temporary measures do not prejudge the outcome of negotiations on a permanent legislative framework for tackling online child sexual abuse.

The reinstated regulation is intended to provide legal certainty for online service providers while ensuring that voluntary child protection measures can continue until EU institutions agree on a long-term approach.

Why does it matter?

The temporary regulation helps ensure that voluntary efforts to detect and report child sexual abuse material can continue without interruption while the EU debates a permanent legislative framework. For online platforms, it provides legal certainty during a period of regulatory transition.

The wider negotiations remain significant because they address one of the most sensitive issues in digital governance: how to strengthen child protection while respecting privacy and secure communications, including the use of end-to-end encryption. The eventual EU framework could influence similar policy discussions in other jurisdictions.

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