Law enforcement

07-06-2024

EU leaders have failed to tackle child sexual abuse crisis online

Est. 4min

The next EU Parliament needs to act quickly and decisively to end the crisis of child sexual abuse material found online, legislation for which has stalled, writes Sabine Saliba.  

04-06-2024

Sweden wants to let police use facial recognition technology

Est. 2min

Sweden's government said Monday (3 June) that it wanted to give law enforcement the ability to use real-time facial recognition technology from cameras in public places, for example to identify people suspected of certain crimes.

29-05-2024

Audio communications excluded in latest draft of child sexual abuse material law

Est. 4min

A new compromise text of the draft law on online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), dated 28 May and seen by Euractiv, excludes audio communications from the scope and tries to strike a new balance between encryption and fighting CSAM.

28-05-2024

Tech file on online child abuse material remains incomplete, risks gridlock

Est. 4min

The draft law on detecting and reporting online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sparking criticism and tension in the past, remains one of the important yet incomplete tech files of the EU, highlighting its significance as it risks being abandoned amid legislative gridlock.

07-05-2024

Europol’s declaration against end-to-end encryption reignites debate, sparks privacy concerns

Est. 6min

Europol's recent joint declaration with European police chiefs urges action against end-to-end encryption, citing concerns of possible justice obstruction, amid an ongoing debate about balancing data privacy with combating crime.

12-04-2024

Service providers in focus of new compromise text of online child sexual abuse draft law

Est. 5min

The Belgian EU Council Presidency's latest compromise text of the draft law on detecting and preventing online child sexual abuse material further clarifies risk categorisation thresholds and lays out service providers' obligation for data retention.

29-03-2024

Online child sexual abuse: New compromise stresses risk assessment, detection, reporting

Est. 5min

A new compromise text by the Belgian Presidency of the European Council, seen by Euractiv, about the draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), puts the focus on risk assessment, detection orders, and reporting.

28-03-2024

Belgian EU presidency presents new risk assessment methodology for child sexual abuse law

Est. 4min

A new document written by the Belgian EU Council presidency and seen by Euractiv outlines key details for the risk assessment that will form the backbone of a draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

19-03-2024

Child sexual abuse: New approach puts focus on Coordinating Authority’s roles

Est. 6min

A new approach by the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council to the draft law to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material puts focus on the Coordinating Authority's roles, such as risk categorisation or detection orders.

06-02-2024

Political gridlock endangers children’s rights to protection from online sexual abuse

Est. 6min

Privacy has dominated the discussion over the regulation curbing child sexual abuse online - at the expense of children's rights, writes Liora Lazarus.

18-01-2024

EU countries share case studies on fighting child sexual abuse material

Est. 6min

An EU Council document about case studies illustrating the implementation of the regulation aiming to prevent online child sexual abuse material gives examples of how reports of such material were handled by member states.

08-01-2024

EU Ombudsman launches probe into Europol officials’ alleged conflict of interest

Est. 4min

The EU Ombudsman launched an investigation into the transfer of two former Europol officials to child protection organisation Thorn on Wednesday (4 January).

19-12-2023

Commission highlights data shortfall in interim child sexual abuse regulation

Est. 5min

A European Commission report on the implementation of the interim regulation on online child sexual abuse material called for improved standardisation and reporting of data submitted by member states on their actions under the temporary rules.

15-12-2023

EU countries want to extend temporary child sexual abuse regulation to 2027

Est. 4min

Member states want the interim regulation on online child sexual abuse material to be extended until 3 August 2027, according to a document shared with EU ambassadors, seen by Euractiv.

Cybersecurity 12-12-2023

How European countries are implementing new cybersecurity framework

Est. 5min

EU countries are implementing the updated Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2), in force since January, with varying degrees of progress. To provide an overview of the state of play, Euractiv interviewed Nicolas Sonder and Mailin von Knobelsdorff, PwC experts on cybersecurity.

Data protection 05-12-2023

EU court lowers requirements for imposing fines for data protection breaches

Est. 3min

The European Court of Justice issued a landmark ruling on Tuesday (5 December) that is set to facilitate the imposition of fines for infringements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Competition 30-11-2023

Consumer groups file complaint against Meta’s ‘pay-or-consent’ model

Est. 4min

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 18 of its members filed a complaint to the European Commission on Thursday (30 November) against Meta's "unfair pay-or-consent" model under EU consumer law.

29-11-2023

Spyware used against Serbian civil society ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Est. 5min

Advanced spyware, likely Pegasus, has been used against Serbian civil society just weeks before snap parliamentary elections, human rights organisation Amnesty International confirmed on Tuesday (28 November). "This is the first known case of spyware use in Serbia,” a spokesperson of …

Competition 16-11-2023

TikTok challenges EU’s tight Big Tech grip

Est. 4min

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is appealing the designation of its social media application as a gateway that would make the service subject to Europe’s strict regime of ex-ante antitrust rules.

16-11-2023

EU Commission’s microtargeting ads on controversial law faces fresh complaint

Est. 5min

The European Center for Digital Rights, NOYB, launched a complaint on Thursday (16 November) against the EU Commission with the European Data Protection Supervisor for using microtargeting ads on X to promote its regulation on detecting child sexual abuse material online.

Data & Privacy 15-11-2023

French police accused of using facial recognition software illegally

Est. 4min

French national police have been illegally using the Israeli facial recognition software Briefcam since 2015, the French investigative media Disclose reported.

Platforms 09-11-2023

EU’s top court rules against Austria’s content moderation law

Est. 3min

The European Court of Justice sided on Thursday (9 November) with tech giants TikTok, Meta, and Alphabet’s Google against Austrian online content law regulating how platforms should deal with harmful and illegal content.

Industrial Strategy 08-11-2023

Europe lacks courage in pursuing digital sovereignty, cloud service CEO says

Est. 5min

EU policymakers should have the "courage and fair-mindedness" to pursue a sovereign cloud and regulate American cloud providers under the EU antitrust law on digital markets, Michel Paulin, CEO of the leading French provider OVHcloud, told Euractiv in an interview.

06-11-2023

EU Commission’s nameless experts behind its child sexual abuse law

Est. 5min

The EU Ombudsman has found a case of maladministration in the European Commission's refusal to provide the list of experts, which it first denied existing, with whom they worked together in drafting the regulation to detect and remove online child sexual abuse material.