European Union: Adopted Civil Liberties Committee position on the proposed Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse

On 14 November 2023, the the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) adopted its position on the proposed Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. Under the LIBE amendments, internet service providers would be required to assess the risk of their services being used for online child sexual abuse. The Internet service providers would have to take targeted, proportionate and effective measures to reduce this risk. In order to prevent minors from being exploited online, services aimed at children should obtain user consent, offer blocking options and improve parental controls. In cases where harm reduction measures fail, judicial authorities will be able to issue temporary tracing orders to trace illegal material. Furthermore, under the LIBE amendments, the end-to-end encryption content would be excluded from the regulatory scope of the detection orders. The proposal also establishes a Child Protection Centre to support implementation and enforcement. The draft position is subject to approval in plenary.