EDRi-gram, 29 October 2026

What has the EDRi network been up to over the past few weeks? Find out the latest digital rights news in our regular newsletter. In this edition: Celebrating end-to-end encryption, and the digital justice community in Europe and beyond

By EDRi · October 29, 2026

Dear supporters,

We’re still riding the high from October milestones showcasing the strength of our community. We had the pleasure of greeting many of you in person and online for #PrivacyCamp26 two weeks ago to discuss the origins of technology and how to pivot from conversations around “sovereignty” to meaningful, community-led self-determination. If you weren’t able to make it but you’re curious about the conversations, you can rewatch the livestream of some of the panel discussions.

Then, on October 21, we celebrated Global Encryption Day, highlighting end-to-end encryption as a crucial foundation to our right to safe and secure communication online and to life as we know it. Thanks to our members and partners, our message of protecting encryption was visible across several European capitals – from the metro trains of Prague to key landmarks in Berlin, Paris and Dublin with mobile “encryption trucks”. We also worked with European Sex Workers Alliance and Féministes contre le cyberharcèlement to raise awareness on the importance of safe and secure communications for sex workers as well as womens’ rights. You can read more about the action in this edition, and stay tuned for more updates coming soon on our social platforms.

Yet another win for digital rights this month came with the news of Norway’s data protection authority imposing a fine of 92 million Norwegian crowns (roughly EUR 8.8 million) on Microsoft’s adtech unit Xandr for unlawfully sharing ​Grindr users’ sensitive data with thousands of advertisers.

While we’re bolstered from the wins and community spirit, there’s a lot more to resist and much work to be done. We are still reeling from the EU governments’ final position on the Digital Omnibus on Data, which amongst other unsavoury things, will to allow companies to use our data to develop or use their AI systems if it serves a ‘legitimate interest’ – without us knowing or accepting. This is a blank cheque for tech corporations to indulge in outrageous data grabs and exploit potentially sensitive information about us.

Earlier this week, the European Commission also announced a revamp of Frontex, EU’s border agency, that is set to double its budget and expand its role in deportations and surveillance. Not only will this turn Frontex into EU’s ICE equivalent, the new Regulation also wants to allow Frontex to be able to monitor social media for information that may forecast people’s movements at EU borders. Let alone leading with solidarity and care, the EU seems intent on violating people’s freedom to move and to express themselves. Keep your eyes out for an analysis of the new proposal from the Protect Not Surveil coalition.

RECOMMENDED

[📰 read] Surveillance at Scale : How AI training platforms gather personal data from European workers by DiPLab, Reversing.works and Intérêt à Agir. This report on the surveillance of data workers examines the platform Outlier, used by ScaleAI to recruit workers as data tutors. While digital platforms rely on data workers to label, check and organise training data for AI, they also collect workers’ personal data, financial records, biometric information, and even facial recognition scans. This data is used for surveillance purposes, and probably for further AI training purposes. The report also includes a legal analysis of likely data protection violations.

[📺watch] The German Big Brother Awards, organised by EDRi member Digitalcourage, took place on September 25. You can now watch the livestream of the event which recognises the worst privacy offenders. This year’s recipients include the German Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt with the plan to create a “fully transparent” population through the tax ID, the EU’s disastrous Digital Omnibus, and more.

[🎧listen] Taking Data Centers to Court by Tech Won’t Save Us. Data centers are being approved without proper oversight into their broader impacts, but there are organisations pushing back. Co-Executive Director of Foxglove, and former EDRi Board member Martha Dark joins Paris Marx to discuss her work at Foxglove and how legal challenges against data centers are imposing stronger rules and reframing false narratives from policymakers and Big Tech.

EVENTS

  • December 10, 2026

    International Digital Rights Days

    Digital rights are human rights. In a society increasingly shaped by the digital world, it is essential to emphasize the importance of everyone’s right to access, use, and...

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  • Background

    December 14, 2026

    IGF 2026 – Internet Governance Forum

    The 21st annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, marking the first gathering of the global multistakeholder community since the UN...

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  • June 18, 2026

    Digital Rights Monthly Socials

    Connect with the global digital rights community at the monthly Digital Rights Social, hosted by Team CommUNITY on their virtual Mattermost platform

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  • Background

    December 27, 2026

    40th Chaos Communication Congress (40C3)

    Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the Chaos Computer Club hosts its annual Chaos Communication Congress, a Europe-wide renowned gathering attracting more than 17,000 participants annually.

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  • January 30, 2027

    FOSDEM 2027

    FOSDEM is a free event for software developers to meet, share ideas and collaborate. Every year, thousands of developers of free and open source software from all over...

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  • March 8, 2027

    CPDP 20th international conference

    CPDP (“Computers, Privacy and Data Protection”) is a non-profit platform founded in 2007 by research groups at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Université de Namur, and Tilburg University,...

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JOBS