EU commission proposes plan to fight child pornography

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive arm has proposed requiring online platforms to detect and report the sharing of child sex abuse images on the internet. The regulation, which needs to be endorsed by member countries and the EU Parliament, would force companies operating in the EU to detect, report and remove child sexual abuse material online. Currently, voluntary detection is the norm and the Commission says that system does not adequately protect children. Reports of online child sexual abuse in the 27-nation bloc have increased from 23,000 in 2010 to more than 1 million in 2020. A digital rights group warned that the move could cause privacy problems.