EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Monday 11 July in Prague that the proposed Regulation on combating child pornography online has “taken an important step forward” as all Member States have supported “mandatory, technology-neutral and privacy-balancing rules” for Internet and messaging service companies.
Citing “strong support”, the Commissioner saw this as a significant step “towards the adoption” of the Regulation presented at the end of May (see EUROPE 12950/5). “We want to make progress on this issue; no Member State doubts that the fight against child pornography should be a priority”, commented Czech Minister Vít Rakušan.
According to one source, the Ministers’ discussion was fairly general and did not focus on the technical aspects of the Regulation, which, as a reminder, will require Internet companies to monitor the traffic of child pornography material, leaving them to choose the technology to be used.
Several Member States have also intervened to insist on privacy and communications, although this does not preclude new legislation. Germany is one of the countries expressing caution that a blanket ‘surveillance’ of communications should not be created and has expressed concerns to the Commission in this regard. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)