The legislative process on the European Commission's draft on preventing and combating child sexual abuse is still ongoing. It is therefore currently uncertain when a corresponding legal regulation will come into force. In light of this and the expiry of the existing derogation to the ePrivacy Directive on 3 August 2024, the European Commission is planning to extend this regulation by two years. This means that certain communications service providers will continue to be able to voluntarily detect and report depictions of sexual violence against children online in the coming months.
The European Commission is currently conducting a consultation process on the planned extension of the existing derogation. Opinions and comments can be submitted hereuntil 12 February. After the deadline, the contributions will be summarised and forwarded to the European Parliament and the European Council. This will allow these institutions to make their decision in the light of the feedback received during the consultation process.