EU warns urgent to patch legal gap on online child sex abuse

Source: The Star
Published on: 2026-04-08 04:34

BRUSSELS: The European Commission on Tuesday urged EU member states and lawmakers to "dramatically speed up" work on new rules to tackle child sexual abuse material online, after an old set expired unreplaced. A legal derogation allowing for online platforms and messaging services to voluntarily detect and report abusive images lapsed on April 3, as governments and the European parliament squabbled over an overhaul of the system. "The co-legislators must now dramatically speed up their work" on finding a long term solution, said Guillaume Mercier, a spokesman for the commission, the European Union's top executive body. "We will support them in the negotiations to proceed as quickly as possible to reduce any legal gap," he told a press conference in Brussels. Google, Microsoft, Meta and Snapchat said in a letter last week that they would continue to "take voluntary action" and scan me...

(Please login to view full article)

Third-Party Content Disclaimer

Content displayed on this platform may include news articles, reports, and other materials aggregated from publicly available third-party sources through automated tools. Such content is not created, written, commissioned, or edited by Straits Interactive Pte Ltd or the Data Protection Excellence (DPEX) Network.

While we take reasonable steps to ensure responsible publication, we do not independently verify all third-party information and make no representations as to its accuracy, completeness, or reliability.

The views, findings, and statements expressed in third-party content belong solely to the original source and do not reflect the views of Straits Interactive Pte Ltd or the DPEX Network.

If you believe any content is inaccurate, infringing, or should be removed, please contact us at legal@straitsinteractive.com. We will review the matter and, where appropriate, take action in accordance with our internal policies.

Unlock these benefits
benefit

Get access to news, enforcement cases, events, and actionable tips and guides

benefit

Get regular email updates and offers

benefit

Job opportunities, mentorship and career guidance

benefit

Exclusive access to Data Protection community - ask questions, network and share knowledge with peers and experts via WhatsApp and Linkedin