EU member states have again failed to reach an agreement on a controversial proposal regarding “chat monitoring” aimed at combating child pornography.

Diplomatic sources stated that the compromise proposal presented by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union did not receive sufficient support, and as a result, it will not be put to a vote at the upcoming meeting of EU interior ministers.

However, the file is not closed permanently, as Denmark or any future Council presidency can submit a revised version of the proposal for further discussion.

EU ambassadors met on Wednesday evening to discuss a legislative proposal put forward by the European Commission three years ago aimed at combating the exploitation of children in pornography, requiring services like WhatsApp and Signal to scan messages for child pornographic content, including images, videos, and links.

Critics have repeatedly warned of the risks of mass surveillance implied by the proposal.

Service providers also oppose the EU plans, with the messaging service Signal threatening to withdraw from the European market.