Because of the unusual procedure, voting in Strasbourg was confused and chaotic. One member told Parliament Vice President Sophie Wilmès: “We don’t know what we are voting on.”
The vote means member countries must now decide whether to accept the Parliament’s changes. If they do not, and propose a different version, the law will go to a dreaded “conciliation” procedure. That procedure was used earlier this year to pass a long-stalled law on air passengers’ rights but, other than that, has not been used since 2013.
The continuation of negotiations means tech companies remain without a legal basis to voluntarily scan for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. A previous version of the law lapsed in April.
Proponents of the temporary law argue that having the legislation in place means children will stay protected online while lawmakers hash out a deal on a permanent legal solution. Critics say it was only ever intended to be temporary and would stall progress on the long-term law.