BRUSSELS, April 4, 2026 — The European Union’s voluntary chat control measure has expired, halting automated scans of online content for child abuse and grooming material. The measure, which allowed providers to voluntarily screen communications, had generated 21,830 suspicious reports to Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office in 2025 alone. However, the Ministry confirmed there are no statistics on how many of these reports resulted in formal complaints. A recent report by the *Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung* (FAZ) noted that roughly half of suspicious reports in Germany led to complaints in 2024. Reports of abusive content have declined across the EU in recent years, particularly in messaging services. Experts attribute the drop to the widespread adoption of end-to-end encryption and providers scaling back detection efforts. The EU Commission has long sought to implement mandatory filters for child abuse imagery, but negotiations to extend an exception to data protection rules collapsed in late March. The European Parliament had proposed extending the exception until August 3, 2027, but only for users already flagged as suspects by law enforcement. The measure was ultimately rejected, leaving no legal framework for continued automated scans. The expiration marks a turning point in the bloc’s approach to balancing privacy rights and child protection efforts.