'Profits of tech industry being put before the rights of children'

Children’s Rights Alliance online safety co-ordinator Noeline Blackwell criticised the European Parliament for failing to advance a permanent solution to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material through private online communications.

The profits of technology firms are being put before the rights of children by not providing a permanent European policy around the detection of child sexual abuse material.

That is according to Children’s Rights Alliance online safety co-ordinator Noeline Blackwell, who criticised the European Parliament for failing to advance a permanent solution to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material through private online communications.

It comes after a decision by the European Council to extend a temporary measure until April 3 next year, allowing technology companies to detect and remove child sexual abuse material in private, non-encrypted communications.

The extension enables providers to continue carrying out such checks without risking penalties for breaches of EU data protection rules.

However, the current regime does not apply to end-to-end encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal.

Until April, providers could voluntarily scan both encrypted and non-encrypted communications for child sexual abuse material under a broader temporary derogation. 

When that arrangement expired, it was replaced with a narrower stopgap measure while EU institutions continue to negotiate a permanent system.

Ms Blackwell said she accepted any permanent solution would have to ensure the protection of privacy and free speech, but added: “It has to recognise that children have this right to be protected from serious harm, degrading treatment and abuse. This is the debate we have not had.” 

Who benefits from this delay? Children don’t benefit, even the regulators do not benefit because our regulations say that all children should be protected from harmful material while this stuff swims all over the internet. 

"Who benefits from it? Those who would have to take more care of what they put up on their platforms. In other words, the tech industry.” 

Ms Blackwell said: “I am concerned that the profits of the tech industry are being put before the rights of children.” 

Last month, a special panel set up by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to develop a strong and practical European approach to keep children safe online issued its report. 

Ms Blackwell said: “One of the key principles that that group of experts came up was that the primary responsibility for the protection of children online so that they do not access unsafe material is with the tech industry. 

"So now the European Union is being faced with a real challenge to its values and if those values include the rights of children to be safe, then that is something that they have to address.” 

The Children's Rights Alliance has asked the Government to prioritise the development of a permanent solution during its six-month presidency of the EU.