EU worries over 'legal gap' on online child sex abuse

Squabbling between EU countries and lawmakers over how to best tackle child sexual abuse material online is set to create a "major" gap in protection, Brussels warned Tuesday, with talks deadlocked days before current rules expire.

A European Union legal framework for online platforms and messaging services to detect and report abusive images on a voluntary basis is set to lapse on April 3.

"If no agreement is found by then, there will be a major legal gap in the protection of children from sexual abuse," European Commission spokesman Markus Lammert told a press conference in Brussels Tuesday.

But EU sources told AFP the rules were all but certain to expire with no legal time to find a solution.

The 27-nation bloc has for years been debating the strengthening of current regulations.

The commission in 2022 proposed to require platforms to detect and report images and videos of abuse, as well as attempts by predators to contact minors.

Though supported by several child protection groups, the plans nicknamed "Chat Control" sparked fierce debate inside the bloc.

Critics, such as the EU's own data protection authorities, lawmakers, and countries including Germany, have warned they could pose a "disproportionate" threat to privacy.

As finding an agreement has proved difficult, European lawmakers and member states met on Monday to discuss extending the interim rules.

But those talks also failed to produce results, something Lammert said the commission regretted.

The development "creates a vacuum which, despite our efforts, will have repercussions on the ability to save victims of this horrendous crime and to bring perpetrators to justice," added a spokesperson for Cyprus, which holds the EU's rotating presidency.