FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14 November 2023
Brussels, Belgium—In a disheartening turn of events, ECPAT International expresses its profound disappointment following today’s LIBE Committee’s vote on the Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse online.
Amy Crocker, Head of Child Protection and Technology at ECPAT International, asserts: “Today’s vote by the LIBE Committee is an alarming setback to children’s safety online. The compromise they put forward is a step back, starkly contradicting the expectations of European citizens and, more critically, actively undermining the safety of children in digital spaces. It is a decision that favours bureaucracy over the welfare of children.”
ECPAT International will keep advocating for effective and uncompromised online child protection measures, demanding legislation that truly protects children online. Join Us and Take Action!
More information can be found here and here.
Notes to editors:
The Regulation was first proposed in May 2022 by the European Commission and will impose obligations on platforms to perform risk assessments and adopt risk mitigation measures on child sexual abuse. It will also allow for national jurisdictions to issue detection and removal orders of child sexual abuse material. The legislation will create an EU Centre, which will be in charge of assessing which technologies can be used by platforms and which will ensure the sharing of best practices across the EU.
Media contact:
For further information or media inquiries, please contact: Andrew Beaton – communications@ecpat.org