Overview
- Denmark, holding the EU’s rotating presidency, removed the mandatory message-scanning provision to unlock an agreement, according to Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard.
- The revised draft would allow platforms to detect and report child sexual abuse material on a voluntary basis rather than under legal orders.
- Negotiators face time pressure because the current EU framework for detecting online child sexual abuse material ends in April 2026.
- Privacy advocates and some MEPs praised the reversal, with activist and former MEP Patrick Breyer calling it a major advance.
- Some governments and child-protection groups argue the compromise is too weak; the European Commission declined to comment, and a 2024 IWF report estimated 62% of such content is hosted on EU servers.