Today, because of the expiry of the ePrivacy derogation enabling the use of technology to detect child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Europe risks leaving children across the globe less protected from the most abhorrent harm. This concern is shared by a group of almost 250 child rights organizations and many others.
For years, a number of technology companies have taken voluntary action to detect, remove and report CSAM including, where appropriate, through hash-matching technology — a widely utilized tool to prevent and disrupt real, ongoing harm to victims and survivors. This is not just a matter of law, but of protecting children.
While EU institutions rightly expect technology companies to take action on child safety, the April 3 expiry of the derogation clouds the legal certainty that has helped responsible platforms try to protect our communities, safeguard child victims, and preserve the integrity of our services. We are disappointed by this irresponsible failure to reach an agreement to maintain established efforts to protect children online.
As EU institutions continue to negotiate an immediate, interim solution and durable framework, signatory companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Snap) reaffirm their continued commitment to protecting children and preserving privacy, and will continue to take voluntary action on our relevant Interpersonal Communication Services.
We call on EU institutions to conclude negotiations on a regulatory framework as a matter of urgency.
To learn more about how hash-matching and CSAM detection tools work, please join this upcoming webinar at 3PM CET on Friday, April 10th.
