Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft have criticised the European Parliament for failing to extend a law that allowed them to scan for child sexual exploitation material, warning that the legal gap will lead to crimes going undetected. The temporary measure, which was a carve-out of the EU's ePrivacy Directive, expired on 3 April, after lawmakers declined to vote on an extension amid privacy concerns.
The companies said in a joint statement that they would continue to voluntarily scan their platforms for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but described the failure to reach an agreement as an 'irresponsible failure' that undermines efforts to protect children online. The legal uncertainty means that while scanning is now illegal, tech firms remain liable to remove illegal content under the Digital Services Act.
Child safety experts warn that the lapse could trigger a sharp decline in reports of abuse, echoing a 58% drop during a similar legal gap in 2021. John Shehan, vice-president at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), said: 'When detection tools are disrupted, we lose visibility that directly impacts our ability to find and protect child sexual abuse victims.' In 2025, the NCMEC received 21.3 million reports of suspected abuse from around the world.
The EU Parliament said it was prioritising work on a permanent legal framework, but offered no timeline. Privacy advocates argue that scanning threatens fundamental rights and could lead to mass surveillance. However, Hannah Swirsky of the Internet Watch Foundation countered: 'Blocking CSAM is not an evasion of privacy. Free speech does not include sexual abuse of children.'
