EU Parliament to vote on reinstating message-scanning rule

The European Parliament is poised to vote on Thursday on whether to reinstate a controversial interim measure that allows online platforms to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material. The vote follows a procedural maneuver on Tuesday that narrowly passed, setting the stage for a final decision on extending a legal framework that expired in early April.

On Tuesday, lawmakers approved the use of a rarely invoked urgent procedure by a vote of 331 in favor, 304 against, with 11 abstentions. This procedural step schedules the decisive vote for Thursday. If approved, the temporary extension would allow service providers to detect, report, and remove such material until 2028 while negotiations on a permanent law continue.

Critics, including privacy advocates and some members of Parliament, argue the measure undermines end-to-end encryption by effectively mandating the scanning of private communications. They have labeled the legislation "chat control" and describe it as a form of mass surveillance. The proposal was previously rejected by Parliament in March, with 311 votes against, 228 in favor, and 92 abstentions, after amendments were introduced to narrow the scope of...