Extension of voluntary chat control as a measure against child abuse

The EU Parliament has voted on a proposal to extend an existing special regulation to combat child sexual abuse on the Internet. The regulation – often referred to as “chat control” – previously allowed internet services to voluntarily review content to identify and report signs of abuse. A possible extension of these measures was also discussed during the deliberations. Parliament was in principle in favor of a shorter extension until August 2027 and a narrower scope of application in order to limit the interventions more closely. However, no agreement could be reached in negotiations with the EU states. Since no common solution was found, the current regulation will expire after April 3, 2026. At the same time, negotiations are continuing on a permanent EU law that is intended to regulate the long-term handling of child sexual abuse on the Internet. Attention: The voting results shown on the right only reflect the voting behavior of the current 95 German EU MPs and not that of all 720 EU MPs. The proposal for an extension was rejected overall with 228 votes in favor, 311 against and 92 abstentions. 62 of the German MEPs voted against. 12 MEPs from the S&D group voted in favor. Of the 12 abstentions, 10 came from the Greens/EFA group and one abstention each from Hans Neuhoff (ESN) and Manuela Ripa (EPP).

Vote breakdown