The telecom chiefs want the European Commission to introduce EU-wide administrative orders allowing internet providers to block confirmed illegal content until it is eliminated. The letter also calls for the creation of a new EU watchdog with “legal authority” to maintain a database of indicators of CSAM that could serve as the basis for enforcement action.
“The scale of abuse demands decisive action, so Europe must show global leadership,” the CEOs argue, noting that the continent hosts a “significant portion” of images and videos of children being sexually abused being traded online.
The non-profit Internet Watch Foundation found that 63 percent of CSAM webpages were hosted in the EU last year, with Bulgaria emerging as the top hotspot, followed by the Netherlands.
“It is simply unacceptable that known illegal content remains accessible while removal at source is pending or delayed,” they write. “We already act where the law allows but the position is varied and uncertain in practice.”
The CEOs slammed “regulatory barriers” in Europe that prevent internet providers from blocking access to websites that have been confirmed as illegal content by trusted hotlines or expert third parties. “These barriers must be removed, urgently.”
The letter lands just after EU policymakers jumped through legislative hoops to adopt a stopgap bill allowing tech companies to continue scanning for such material, while legislators keep negotiating a permanent legal framework.
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