This meeting is jointly organised with COFACE Families Europe.
It brought together delegates from German family organisations and experts monitoring the CSA regulation proposed by the European Commission in May 2022 to discuss the state of the play of the negotiations with the European Parliament and Council of the EU, and enhance understanding of the regulation’s impact on families and children.
This was a hybrid meeting in Berlin and online, held in English language.
Program
Moderators: Elizabeth Gosme, Director, COFACE; Sven Iversen, Director, AGF & Beatrijs Gelders, Policy and Advocacy Officer, COFACE
9.30-9.45 Welcome and round table of introductions
Sven Iversen, Director, AGF
9.45-10.15 Session 1: State of play of CSA regulation
Input by the European Commission
Q&A
10.30-11.15 Session 2: Risk assessment and mitigation
First reflections by DOT Europe
11.15-12.15 Session 3: Detection of CSA online
First reflections by John Carr, Online Safety Expert, UK Council on Child Internet Safety
13.30-14.15 Session 4: EU Centre
First reflections by European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)
14.15-15.00 Final session: Conclusions and next steps
Summary
During a reflective discussion on the regulatory proposal, participants underscored the critical importance of priori-tising child protection needs. They deliberated on the challenges posed by double reporting obligations and explored potential technological solutions like homomorphic encryption, while acknowledging their current limitations.
Existing regulatory frameworks such as the UK Online Safety Act and Germany’s proactive measures, exemplified by the Independent Commissioner for Child Sexual Abuse were discussed. Particularly German participants stressed Germany’s strong traditional emphasis on data protection, which is underscored in its constitution. Meanwhile, acknowledging this, participants highlighted the importance of the overarching imperative of preventing and combating child abuse online. It was agreed that this fine line needed a well-considered balance.
Emphasis was placed on the need for sustained collaboration among stakeholders, transcending national borders, to effectively address the scourge of online child abuse. Some participants pointed out the challenges that could arise from the double reporting obligation for companies. The opportunities and risks of possible technical solutions for child protection, including in encrypted environments were weighed up, but the current limits of the possibilities of child protection with strong encryption were also recognised. Participants stressed the collective responsibility of various sectors in combating this multifaceted issue, recognising that child rights organisations cannot tackle it alone.
As the discussion concluded, participants reiterated the importance of maintaining a nuanced approach, with a well-calibrated balance between privacy rights, victim protection and regulatory preventive measures. They em-phasised the necessity of steering legislative and regulatory endeavours towards a more robust and comprehen-sive framework for safeguarding and empowering the more vulnerable.
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