Blogs
Filter by...
-
Sex, religion and race are advertising taboos, except for power-hungry politicians
As the GDPR turns five, certain EU lawmakers want to rip out some of its protections, so they can use our deeply personal information to tailor political ads and tip political elections and campaigns in their favour.
Read more
-
€1.2 billion GDPR fine for Meta over US mass surveillance
Today, a decade-long (2013 - 2023) case on Meta's involvement in US mass surveillance has led to a first direct decision. Meta must stop any further transfers of European personal data to the United States, given that Meta is subject to US surveillance laws (like FISA 702). The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) had largely overturned the Irish Data Protection Commission's (DPC) decision, insisting on a record fine and that previously transferred data must be brought back to the EU.
Read more
-
5 years of the GDPR: National authorities let down European legislator
On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, promising to be the strongest set of data protection rules to enhance our privacy. While the contents of EU data protection rules stayed largely the same, the alleged big change was the GDPR's strict enforcement. 5 years later, national authorities and courts largely leave the European legislator in the lurch – despite a budget of more than €330 million in 2022.
Read more
-
Romania: CSA Regulation will make journalistic investigations of child abuse impossible
The back door to people’s private communications that only the authorities can access is a mythical creature that lives in the imagination of those dismissing the consequences of malware, spyware attacks and software exploits. Experts and affected people have spoken up about the dangers of creating a back door to secure communication even if it is to be accessed only by police and security services. The Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Regulation has revived the age-old debate.
Read more
-
Open letter: Gender-inclusive and safe digital world that is free from violence for all
EDRi and 45 organisations call on the European Parliament to better protect those who face digitally facilitated gender-based violence.
Read more
-
The EU must respect human rights of migrants in the AI Act
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard has sent an open letter calling on the Rapporteurs and members of leading committees on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) to prohibit the use of certain artificial intelligence (AI) systems which are incompatible with human rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the AI Act.
Read more
-
Member in the Spotlight: ARTICLE 19
ARTICLE 19 is an international ‘think-do’ organisation that propels the freedom of expression movement, locally and globally, so people everywhere can realise the power of their voices. It works for a world where everyone can freely express themselves and actively engage in public life without fear of discrimination.
Read more
-
Government bans TikTok (sort of), Facebook has a bad day in court, and civil society organisations mobilise against Big Tech
Read through the most interesting developments at the intersection of human rights and technology from the Netherlands. This is the third update in this series.
Read more
-
Missing: people’s rights in the EU Digital Decade
In June 2023, the European Union (EU) will adopt its first report on the state of the ‘Digital Decade’ – a plan launched in 2022 with digitalisation targets for business, public services and people’s digital skills. The Digital Decade reads more like a business plan than a policy programme.
Read more
-
EDRi-gram, 17 May 2023
Last week, European Parliament committees voted to protect people’s rights in the AI Act. In a landmark moment, Members of Parliament (MEPs) supported all key civil society demands. We’re still concerned about some gaps and loopholes but it’s a big win for our network and partners’ work! The PEGA committee also adopted its final report and recommendations. It included many valuable proposals but failed to go all the way in calling for an EU-wide ban on spyware. You can also read our take on what’s missing from the EU Digital Decade report (spoiler alert: our rights).
Read more
-
Commissioner Johansson cannot be trusted with the EU’s proposed CSA Regulation
In the midst of a wide range of concerning practices and behaviours, EDRi has found it necessary to raise a formal complaint against the EU’s Home Affairs department for possible breaches of independence.
Read more
-
The CSA Regulation: how did it reach this point?
How did we reach this point of even discussing a law (Child Sexual Abuse Regulation) that so manifestly undermines our democratic structures, threatens to override the fundamental rights that generations have been fighting for, and ignores solid evidence and unanimous professional expertise?
Read more