Blogs
Filter by...
-
AVG starts selling personal data to third parties
The Czech Republic based security software vendor AVG Technologies recently updated its privacy policy. The objective of the changes, according to the company, was to explain in a more transparent manner to their users how it intends to use what it calls ”non-personal information”. The new privacy policy will take effect on 15 October 2015. […]
Read more
-
Germany: The secret service’s 300-million-euro surveillance plan
This is a shortened English version of the German article originally published by Andre Meister on Netzpolitik.org. Translation and changes by Kirsten Fiedler and Nikolai Schnarrenberger. Fibreoptic surveillance, scanning of Internet traffic in real time, cracking encryption, hacking computers: Germany’s foreign intelligence agency “Bundesnachrichtendienst” (BND) is massively expanding its internet surveillance capabilities. On 21 September, […]
Read more
-
EU Parliament’s “radicalisation” draft report – lost in translation
The European Parliament is currently working on a non-binding Resolution on terrorist “radicalisation”. As is usual with such instruments, little attention is being paid to the initiative, because it is not binding legislation. Nonetheless, it will be a formal position of the European Parliament, and it’s important that the outcome will show adequate concern for […]
Read more
-
ENDitorial: EU Commission ISDS proposal – a threat to democracy
The European Commission has published its investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) reform proposal for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the EU-US trade agreement currently under negotiation, and future trade agreements between the European Union and third countries. On the positive side, the reform proposal removes unfair procedural advantages for the United States and tries […]
Read more
-
Two Danes arrested for publishing information about Popcorn Time
The Popcorn Time software has become a popular way of watching movies and TV shows online. The user is presented with an interface that has the look and feel of established streaming services, such as Netflix. In many cases, Popcorn Time is used to access content made available without the authorisation of the rights-holders, but stopping […]
Read more
-
European Commission & Data Retention – a faulty basis for decision-making*?
Due to the sensitive nature of this summary, we shared it with the European Commission to allow for any corrections or clarifications that were deemed necessary before publication. The draft was updated on the basis of the feedback that was received, but not all suggestions from the Commission services were accepted by us. As a […]
Read more
-
More “right to be forgotten” confusion
In August 2015, the UK’s data protection Commissioner (the Information Commissioner) published a press release on implementation of the Google/Spain case that led to widespread confusion. Given that the story was about the de-linking of stories about stories that had been de-linked as a result of that case, maybe this is not entirely surprising! The […]
Read more
-
EU secret profiling of air passengers nominated for “big brother awards”
Over the past 15 years, human rights, including the right to privacy, have been traded away to create ever-more invasive measures designed sometimes as tools to protect society against possible terrorist threats and sometimes as a means of being seen to be doing “something” in a show of security theatre. The leitmotif: “Safety First”. The […]
Read more
-
EDRi is looking for a Communications trainee!
European Digital Rights (EDRi) is an international non-profit association of 33 digital civil rights organisations from 19 European countries. We defend and promote rights and freedoms in the digital environment, such as the right to privacy, freedom of expression, communication and access to information. EDRi is looking for a trainee who will be actively involved […]
Read more
-
Austria creates new agency with unprecedented surveillance powers
In the midst of the biggest surveillance scandal of mankind and after years of criticism about rogue secret agencies spying on politicians and the government bodies supposed to control them, Austria is planning to establish a new secret agency. Austria’s draft state security law, “Staatsschutzgesetz”, grants new, far reaching surveillance powers while reducing oversight and […]
Read more
-
EDRi identifies key challenges to freedom of expression online
On 13 November 2014, EDRi met with the European External Action Service (EEAS) for a civil society consultation on the EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline. The EEAS aims at improving the Guidelines in the future and was seeking input to that end. EDRi had already outlined its position in […]
Read more
-
Three French NGOs challenge French international surveillance
On 3 September 2015, the non-profit Internet Service Providers (ISPs) French Data Network (FDN) and the FDN Federation (FFDN) as well as a digital rights advocacy group La Quadrature du Net announced the introduction of two legal challenges before the French Council of State against the Internet surveillance activities of French foreign intelligence services, Directorate-General […]
Read more