Agreement moves closer: EU Council could abandon mandatory chat control

The EU Council may be close to an agreement that would drop the mandatory chat control proposal, marking a significant development in digital policy discussions. This potential shift follows years of debate surrounding the EU's proposed law to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. The Danish presidency has signaled sufficient support for a compromise. Key elements of the proposed compromise involve the removal of "detection obligations" from the draft law, specifically Articles 7 through 11, which include mandates for chat control services. This follows a new proposal from Denmark. The compromise suggests that service providers could decide on their own if they want to scan communications. The impact of this potential agreement is far-reaching, particularly for tech companies and digital privacy advocates. While the mandatory chat control may be scrapped, the voluntary chat control, a "temporary exception" to the confidentiality of communication, will be solidified. This approach allows internet services to monitor content. The discussions continue next week with the working group session. The goal is to bring an end to the ongoing negotiations regarding CSAM. The EU is aiming to create a balanced approach to the detection of illegal content while protecting the privacy of users.