EU Parliament to Vote Again on Extending “Chat Control” Message-Scanning Rules

EU lawmakers are set to vote Thursday on whether to extend a legal framework that would allow technology firms to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material, a proposal critics have dubbed “chat control.” According to Cointelegraph, the European Parliament on Tuesday approved a rarely used urgent procedure to bring the extension to a new vote after the framework expired in early April. Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová criticized the move, saying the urgent procedure violated Parliament’s rules of procedure and would lead to another vote on extending the derogation that permitted online platforms to scan private communications. The renewed vote could revive rules opposed by privacy and cryptography advocates because they require companies to scan end-to-end encrypted messages. Since the framework lapsed in April, messaging platforms such as WhatsApp have been permitted to take voluntary measures to identify those sharing abusive material. Gregorová said rejecting or amending the proposal would require an absolute majority of 361 votes in Parliament. Tuesday’s procedural vote passed narrowly, with 331 in favor, 304 against, and 11 abstaining. She also pointed to a March vote in which Parliament rejected a temporary extension proposed by the European Commission while a new version of the law was being discussed; that measure failed with 311 against, 228 for, and 92 abstaining. Euronews reported Tuesday that the latest proposal was revived by the European People’s Party, the largest group in Parliament, which had largely voted against the measure in March due to amendments that restricted the scope of chat scans. The report said European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber has been seeking ways to pass the extension without changes. Gregorová called the effort “unprecedented,” alleging the group was using a procedural loophole to bring back a proposal Parliament had already rejected. Separately, EU member states agreed last month to reinstate an interim “chat control” measure that would allow service providers to detect, report, and remove abusive material until 2028.