EU lawmakers under pressure to fully disclose dealings with child safety tech maker, Thorn

The article reports that the EU Ombudsman found maladministration in the European Commission’s refusal to fully disclose communications with child-safety tech vendor Thorn regarding the controversial CSAM client-side scanning proposal, urging greater transparency amid ongoing legislative negotiations. It details mounting criticism over privacy risks, lobbying influence, and questionable effectiveness, notes the European Parliament’s push to remove scanning of end-to-end encrypted messages, and cites additional controversies including a privacy complaint over the Commission’s microtargeted ads and an inquiry into Europol staff moves to Thorn. The Commission has indicated it will respond to the Ombudsman’s recommendation by March 19, leaving the proposal’s final direction uncertain.