Chat control: EU Parliament rejects extension again

On Thursday morning, the EU Parliament once again rejected the extension of the so-called “voluntary chat control” desired by the EU Commission and numerous member states. At the same time, the MEPs voted for a limited extension under strict conditions.

This means Parliament is sticking to its line. MEPs had already rejected the Commission's proposal two weeks ago and called for strong restrictions. Under pressure from the Commission and the member states, the European People's Party (EPP) group forced a new vote.

Compromise failed

After the first vote, the Commission and the Council of Member States let negotiations on a compromise with Parliament collapse. Previously, the initiative had already failed in Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee. This made it clear that the exception for “voluntary chat control” would expire in a few days.

Parliament was actually supposed to vote on the outcome of these compromise negotiations on Thursday. Instead, the EPP forced a new vote, perhaps to achieve a different result. While this did not work out and Parliament largely stuck to its line, the vote on proposed restrictions was particularly close.

“Voluntary chat control” refers to the practice of companies like Meta or Google automatically checking communication on their platforms for depictions of child abuse. There is no legal obligation for companies to do so. However, because the practice violates EU data protection rules, there are temporary exceptions.

The currently valid exception expires on April 3rd. The EU Commission had proposed extending this regulation for another two years. Parliament rejected this and instead voted for a shorter duration until August 2027 and strong restrictions on powers. Among other things, the search for relevant material should only be possible in cases of concrete suspicion.

In parallel, the EU is negotiating a legal basis to create a permanent solution for chat control. Parliament is against indiscriminate surveillance of all communication and advocates for clear restrictions. As negotiations are stalled, the exception was to be extended again.

The negotiations on a compromise for the exception apparently failed because the countries fear that this would set a precedent for the negotiations on the permanent solution. The Council wants to keep the option of indiscriminate chat control open.

Commission applies pressure

Arguments are made based on child protection and necessary powers for investigative authorities. Just on Wednesday, four EU Commissioners urgently appealed to MEPs to allow an extension of the current rules. “The protection of children, not that of perpetrators, must remain the guiding principle of the EU's actions,” warn Henna Virkkunen, Magnus Brunner, Michael McGrath, and Glenn Micallef in a letter to MEPs. Critics argue that general chat control disproportionately infringes on citizens' rights.

The drama surrounding chat control is anything but everyday parliamentary business. And it will likely have another chapter: After Parliament rejected the Commission's proposal but passed its own amendment, parliamentary procedure now actually provides for renewed negotiations with the Commission and the Council. If a compromise is not reached again and the Council accepts the democratic vote, “voluntary chat control” will be history on April 3rd.

(vbr)