Having a gap in enforcement would have “immediate and severe” consequences including “reduced detection, fewer reports to law enforcement, and greater impunity for perpetrators,” the commissioners said in their letter. “As lawmakers, we have a duty to act.”
The controversy shows how political tricky the issue of online child protection is in Europe. On one side, child rights groups and security authorities have pushed for stricter policing of online spaces. On the other, privacy rights activists have warned it opens the door to mass surveillance of online communication on the other.
The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) is leading a Hail Mary attempt to extend the rules. It filed an amendment last Friday that would overrule Parliament’s earlier position and align it with what national governments and the Commission want.
The center-right proposal needs the support from enough centrist and center-left lawmakers in order to win approval. But centrist and left-leaning lawmakers feel it would weaken privacy and massively undermine Parliament’s negotiating position in the talks with Council.
The European Commission’s letter was signed by tech chief Henna Virkkunen, Internal Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner, Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath and youth chief Glenn Micallef.
“As parents, lawmakers and Europeans, we cannot let this deadline slide without renewing our plea to you … to act before it is too late,” the commissioners wrote.