BRUSSELS – The proposed regulation aimed at preventing and combating child sexual abuse does not include provisions for general monitoring of online communications or ‘chat control’, stated Commission spokesperson Markus Lammert on Friday.
“There is no overarching monitoring of online communications, nor will there be any form of ‘chat control’. Instead, companies will be required to identify content related to child sexual abuse. Detection is distinct from broad surveillance,” Lammert clarified in response to a journalist’s inquiry.
This proposed regulation, often termed ‘chat control’, has encountered substantial criticism for allegedly enabling law enforcement to conduct extensive surveillance of private communications among all citizens in the European Union, even within applications secured by ‘end-to-end’ encryption.
“Only content that is specifically recognized as related to child sexual abuse will be targeted, such as images and videos. This will be clearly defined, and the conditions will be overseen by data protection authorities,” the spokesperson noted.
“Detection orders can only be issued by judicial or independent administrative bodies following a thorough assessment of necessity and proportionality,” Lammert stressed.
He further mentioned that companies are already permitted to identify such content under a temporary regulation currently in effect, which allows for this on a voluntary basis.
The temporary regulation is set to expire in April 2026, prompting the Commission to urge that negotiations on the proposed regulation commence promptly to establish a robust and permanent legal framework. (September 5, 2025)
Leave a Reply