EU Parliament To Vote Again On Controversial ‘Chat Control’ Rules

European Union lawmakers are set to vote Thursday on whether to extend the so-called “chat control” legislation, which allows tech companies to scan private messages for child sexual abuse material. The vote follows a Tuesday decision to fast-track the process through a rarely used urgent procedure.

Fast-Track Vote Sparks Criticism

Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová criticized the move, saying the decision to push the vote through an urgent procedure bypassed Parliament’s usual rules. The framework in question had already expired in early April, and messaging platforms like WhatsApp have since relied on voluntary detection measures instead of mandatory scanning.

High Bar To Block The Measure

Gregorová noted that rejecting or amending the proposal now requires an absolute majority of 361 votes. Tuesday’s procedural vote passed narrowly, 331 in favor to 304 against, with 11 abstentions. This comes after Parliament rejected a similar extension in March by a wider margin of 311 against to 228 in favor.

Political Maneuvering Behind The Revival

Reports indicate the European People’s Party, the largest group in Parliament, revived the proposal despite opposing it in March over scope-related amendments. Party leader Manfred Weber has reportedly been seeking a way to pass the extension without further changes. Gregorová accused the party of exploiting a procedural loophole to reintroduce a measure Parliament had already rejected. Separately, EU member states agreed last month to keep an interim scanning measure in place until 2028.