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Denmark: Data retention is here to stay despite the CJEU ruling
Following the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling on 8 April 2014, which declared the data retention directive 2006/24/EC invalid, the Danish parliament asked the government about the implications for the Danish data retention law. On 2 June 2014, the government presented its response in a 30-page legal analysis and at a […]
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Anniversary of Snowden revelations: The year we fight back
On 5 June 2013, the Guardian published Edward Snowden’s first documents. These showed that the NSA was using a secret court order to collect millions of customers’ phone calls of the US company Verizon. Snowden’s subsequent disclosures confirmed what many privacy activists were suspecting for a long time: that the US government and its allies […]
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Citizens demonstrate against data retention in Switzerland
On 31 May 2014, several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of the Swiss parliament in Berne to protest against mass surveillance by means of the so-called “data retention” of communications metadata. A legislative proposal that would significantly expand state powers of surveillance has already been approved by the Council of States (the smaller chamber of […]
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Turkey: Highest court rules YouTube ban violates freedom of speech
Turkey’s highest court ruled on 29 May 2014 that access to video-sharing site YouTube has to be restored. A brief decision published on the court’s website stated that the block was unconstitutional and violated individual rights and freedom of expression. On 3 June the access to the site was finally restored. Until now Prime Minister Recep […]
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Interplay between data protection, competition law & consumer rights
On 2 June 2014, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) hosted an event in the European Parliament to discuss its preliminary opinion entitled “Privacy and competitiveness in the age of big data: The interplay between data protection, competition law and consumer protection in the Digital Economy”. This opinion and event is an attempt by EDPS […]
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EC’s Scoreboard 2014: Broadband access improved, challenges remain
On 28 May 2014, the European Commission (EC) launched the “Digital Agenda Scoreboard 2014”, a report on the progress and trends of the EU Digital Agenda based on data from 2013. The report uses thirteen indicators to assess both the European Union and the Member states by means of comparing their performance with the goals […]
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We promised to recruit digital rights-friendly MEPs – we delivered
WePromise.eu was an innovative campaign that sought to bring digital rights to the agenda of the European elections. It gathered wide support from throughout the political spectrum as well as from civil society and citizens, exceeding all expectations. With 434 candidates having signed up to the Charter of digital rights – including two top EU […]
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ENDitorial: Google Spain vs AEPD – the cup is half full
Judgements from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) are typically meant to settle debates about European law, not to stir them up. Last week’s judgement on Google versus Spain falls short of this goal. It is definitely groundbreaking and parts of its analysis have a beautiful logic. That Google is a data […]
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Artist collective threatened with legal action for Google Nest spoof
At the tech conference re:publica which took place on 6-8 May, numerous participants fell for a hoax by the Peng! Collective. During a one-hour presentation on the main stage with the title “your data, our future”, the artist group unveiled a site called “Google Nest” which mimicked the tech giant’s corporate design. The site introduced […]
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Finnish Parliament argued over the copyright initiative
On 13 May, the Education and Culture Committee of the Finnish Parliament discussed the citizens’ initiative on an update to the copyright legislation. The main goal of the initiative “Common Sense in Copyright” is to correct the exaggerated interpretations of the current copyright laws, especially regarding network monitoring and compensation. This includes reforming the judicial […]
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Spain: social media to be censored? “Not everything is appropriate”
Isabel Carrasco, president of the county council of León, was murdered on 12 May 2014. The tragic episode derived in a multitude of opinions throughout the internet. Some netizens extended their sympathy to her family, while others decided to convey a very different message, using Twitter, Facebook or YouTube to celebrate the news; to joke […]
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Legal analysis of the Data Retention ruling of the European Court
The legal service of the Council of the European Union has produced an analysis of the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the data retention Directive. While these documents are normally confidential, this text has been leaked and provides interesting insights into the ruling – making one wonder what justification […]
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