Child abuse: Dispute over chat control: Germany against compromise idea
There has been a dispute for years about how to handle privacy and digital confidentiality in the fight. However, an agreement without the approval of the Federal government is unlikely.
A dispute is brewing in Germany over the proposed voluntary chat control by messenger services aimed at combating child pornography in the ongoing EU negotiations. The German government opposes additional national authorizations, arguing that the current practice of voluntary searches should not depend on prior permission or similar restrictions.
The status quo for uncovering child abuse must be maintained, according to the German government. Instead, the federal interior ministry suggests granting companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google permission to conduct searches for abuse images or videos in private communications, but serious violations could result in search prohibitions.
The proposed search plans would only be considered if they meet clear criteria and have a concise report detailing how companies identify such content. The German government insists that searches should not be delayed by the review process and that the uncovering of child abuse should not be halted due to pending reviews. The fight over child protection versus privacy rights has been ongoing in the EU for years, with data protection advocates calling the proposed mass scanning a needless mass surveillance and ineffective at protecting children.
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