With 469 in favour, 112 against and 37 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a temporary extension of the current e-Privacy derogation that allows the voluntary detection, by internet platforms, of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.

The derogation will be extended until 3 April 2026 so that an agreement on the long-term legal framework to prevent and combat child sexual abuse online can be reached.

At the same time, reporting on the voluntary measures companies have taken to find CSAM will be harmonised. According to the Commission, the reporting has so far been inconsistent, making it difficult to assess the impact of the current law.

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Rapporteur Birgit Sippel (S&D, Germany) said: “Child sexual abuse is a horrible crime and we need to prevent its spread online. For this reason, we have agreed to extend the derogation that allows some companies to use technology to detect online child sexual abuse material.

However, we have set a tight deadline for the expiration of the…