European Union: Adopted EDPB Statement on Proposed Child Sexual Abuse Regulation

On 13 February 2024, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted a statement on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse. The EDPB acknowledged the importance of the fight against child sexual abuse online and welcomed the improvements proposed by the European Parliament. However, it expressed concerns about the potential for general and indiscriminate monitoring of private communications. The EDPB also expressed that detection orders are not limited to known child sexual abuse material and that the use of technologies to detect new child sexual abuse material may be ordered despite concerns about the error rates of these technologies.