EU Parliament backs temporary extension of voluntary chat control, but talks may be needed

A final attempt to block the approval was voted down on Thursday, when the opponents received only 276 votes - about 80 fewer than required.

A small number of changes to the legal text were nevertheless approved, which means that negotiations with EU member states will likely be required before the extension can be finalized.

In practice, the decision still means a continuation of the old rules that expired this spring.

The question of how the search for abuse material should be conducted has led to heated debate for several years, with accusations of excessive access to private chats and emails.