Wednesday’s compromise doesn’t fully please either camp in the lobbying fight. Police and investigators fear illegal content will remain out of sight on end-to-end encrypted applications, while privacy activists say large-scale surveillance of communication will still expand.
Privacy activists voiced concerns over the proposal, particularly over how targeted the scanning measures would be — a sign that they’ll continue to pressure negotiators in coming months.
Andy Yen, CEO of the Swiss privacy-friendly tech maker Proton, said in a statement it is “vital we all remain vigilant” against attempts to introduce mandatory scanning “through the back door” during the negotiations.
Ella Jakubowska, head of policy at digital rights group EDRi, said there’s “a lot still to fix in the Council’s text.”
Meanwhile, ECLAG, a coalition of child rights groups, said it is “concerned by the absence of mandatory detection orders” in the Council compromise.
Negotiators in the Council and Parliament have a hard deadline of April, when a temporary legislation allowing apps to scan for CSAM expires.
The lead negotiator for the Parliament, Spanish lawmaker Javier Zarzalejos, said in a video posted on X that the negotiations are “urgent.”
Cyprus will lead negotiations on behalf of the Council starting in January. A Cypriot official said it is “in full awareness of the April deadline.”