The European Parliament has approved legislation permitting major technology companies to scan users' private messages, emails, and social media content for child sexual abuse material. The measure extends existing permissions that expired in April and will remain in effect until 2028 unless permanent legislation replaces it; end-to-end encrypted services such as WhatsApp and Signal remain exempt from scanning. The European People's Party prioritised the extension to protect children from online exploitation, maintaining that voluntary detection by tech firms has successfully identified victims requiring rescue.

The legislation's passage generated substantial opposition because although more MEPs voted against than for it, the measure passed through an urgent procedural process requiring an absolute majority of 361 votes to block it—effectively reversing normal majority-rule assumptions. Privacy advocates and civil rights groups contend the law enables mass surveillance of private digital communications without individualised suspicion, whilst critics argue the procedural maneuver circumvented standard committee scrutiny and democratic safeguards. Supporters counter that the child protection benefits justify the privacy trade-offs, whereas opponents maintain that blanket surveillance is an ineffective and disproportionate approach to addressing child safety.