Overview
- EU member states and the European Parliament agreed on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, to reactivate a transitional exemption that lets platforms resume automated searches for child sexual abuse material until April 2028, with a formal written adoption by the Council reported as pending.
- The compromise bars breaking end-to-end encryption and excludes client-side scanning, limits automated checks to services that are not end-to-end encrypted, and makes any scanning voluntary for providers.
- Companies such as Microsoft, Google and Meta can again use automated tools to flag images or videos on eligible services but must have a human verify suspected material before reporting it to authorities.
- The deal followed pressure from German officials and the European People’s Party for a quick fix and a procedural push by EU Parliament leadership to reopen the issue, while privacy experts warned the move risks broad intrusion into private communications.
- Negotiations on a permanent legal framework continue between the Council and the European Parliament, and the temporary measure could affect platform choices, user trust, and how law enforcement detects abuse in the near term.