EU extends chat scanning law until 2028
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- The European Parliament has approved a law allowing tech firms to scan messages for child abuse material until 2028.
- End-to-end encrypted messages are exempt from the scanning rules.
- Lawmakers will now negotiate a permanent version of the legislation later this year.
The European Parliament has approved a law allowing technology companies to scan messages for child sexual abuse material until 2028.
Lawmakers failed to block the measure, with only 314 voting against it, below the 361 votes needed to stop the extension.
The law restores rules that expired in April but excludes messages protected by end-to-end encryption.
“Protecting encryption was one of our priorities, and I am therefore glad that we managed to secure an absolute majority for an amendment that at least preserves encryption,” said Pirate Party lawmaker Markéta Gregorová.
Supporters said the law helps protect children, while critics argued it still allows large-scale scanning of private communications.
The amended legislation will now return to the Council of the European Union for approval or rejection.
Lawmakers are expected to resume negotiations in September on a permanent version of the proposal, known as "Chat Control 2.0".