EU Parliament Extends Voluntary Message Scanning Law to 2028

The European Parliament voted on July 9, 2026, to reinstate a temporary law allowing digital platforms to voluntarily scan users' private messages for illegal child abuse material, extending the measure until 2028. The decision, which followed a contentious procedural battle, came despite a majority of lawmakers voting against the extension.

The vote revived a legal framework, widely known as Chat Control 1.0, which had expired on April 3, 2026. The law provides a temporary exemption from the European Union's ePrivacy Directive, permitting but not requiring companies like Google, Meta, and Skype to scan unencrypted messages, emails, and files for known child abuse imagery and signs of grooming. Detected content is reported to law enforcement.

The outcome was determined by a procedural rule requiring an absolute majority of all 720 members of the European Parliament to block the legislation at this stage. While 314 lawmakers voted to reject the extension, 276 voted in favor, and 17 abstained, the opposition fell 47 votes short of the 361-vote threshold needed to stop it. Consequently, the Council of the European Union's position prevailed, allowing the law to move forward.