BRUSSELS, March 16 (Reuters) - EU countries and

lawmakers on Monday failed to agree to an extension of a

temporary measure governing how Alphabet's OGL.O> Google, Meta

Platforms ( META ) and other online platforms tackle child

sexual abuse material, leaving a legal vacuum on the issue.

The current system of voluntary detection and removal of

online child sexual abuse by companies, which exempts them from

strict online privacy rules, has been in place since 2021 and

will expire on April 3.

"Regrettably the European Parliament insisted on amending

the scope of the interim measure in a way that, in the view of

the vast majority of member states, would have made this measure

ineffective," a spokesperson for Cyprus, which currently holds

the rotating EU presidency, said.

"Today's development creates a vacuum."

Lawmakers last week insisted that the temporary rules should

not apply to end-to-end encrypted communications, among other

proposed changes.

Europe resorted to a temporary measure after failing to

agree on legislation on the issue, which pits advocates of

online safety measures against privacy activists worried about

surveillance.

The European Commission's draft rule known as child sexual

abuse material (CSAM) has been stuck in a quagmire since it was

drawn up in 2022, with both sides criticising key elements.

Big Tech has lobbied against any requirement that would

force messaging services, app stores and internet access

providers to report and remove known and new images and videos,

as well as cases of grooming.