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e-Evidence compromise blows a hole in fundamental rights safeguards
In December 2022, the Council and the European Parliament agreed on a final compromise text on the so-called ‘e-Evidence’ proposals. With major concessions given to the Member States’ position, the results of these trilogues negotiations are of bad omen for people’s rights and freedoms.
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Emotion (Mis)Recognition: is the EU missing the point?
The European Union is on the cusp of adopting a landmark legislation, the Artificial Intelligence Act. The law aims to enable an European AI market which guarantees safety, and puts people at its heart. But an incredibly dangerous aspect remains largely unaddressed - putting a stop to Europe’s burgeoning 'emotion recognition' market.
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EDRi-gram, 1 February 2023
In this first EDRigram edition of 2023, we want to take a look back at what we collectively achieved in 2022. Together, we mobilised people and organisations in key moments and continued to strengthen our network and to contribute to the design of a decolonising programme for the field. We are also exploring why the European Commission's blocking obligations for internet services providers in the context of addressing the spread of child sexual abuse material online are impossible. Stay tuned: Today, the European Parliament is voting on the regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising proposal which aims to tackle data-driven vote manipulation.
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Phone unlocking vs biometric mass surveillance: what’s the difference?
Facial recognition is one of the most hotly-debated topics in the European Union’s (EU) Artificial Intelligence Act. Lawmakers are more aware than ever of the risks posed by automated surveillance systems which pervasively track our faces – as well as our bodies and movements - across time and place. This can amount to biometric mass surveillance (BMS), which undermines our anonymity and freedom, and weaponises our faces and bodies against us. The article explores the types of biometric technology and their implications.
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Member States want internet service providers to do the impossible in the fight against child sexual abuse
In May 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for a Regulation to combat child sexual abuse (CSA) online. The proposal contains a number of privacy intrusive provisions, including obligations for platforms to indiscriminately scan the private communications of all users (dubbed ”chat control”). There are also blocking obligations for internet services providers (ISPs), which is the focus of this article.
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The UK will treat online images of immigrants crossing the Channel as a criminal offence
On 17 January, the United Kingdom (UK) government announced that online platforms will have to proactively remove images of immigrants crossing the Channel in small boats under a new amendment to be tabled to the Online Safety Bill. The announcement, intended to bolster the UK’s hostile immigration policy, has been met with concern among the British public and charities working with people on the move.
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Under surveillance: (mis)use of technologies in emergency responses
In the months following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half the world’s countries enacted emergency measures. Within this broader context, we have seen a rapid scaling up of governments’ use of technologies to enable widespread surveillance. How has this impacted civil society groups globally?
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European Parliament approves a timid online political advertising proposal
Tomorrow, 2 February, the European Parliament will vote on the regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising proposal in plenary. Although this regulation intended to restrict the use of personal data to target online political advertisements, important proposals to tackle the root causes of data-driven vote manipulation were watered down during the discussion in the Parliament.
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Policy Statement on article 17 of the proposed European Media Freedom Act
EDRi and our members Access Now, ApTI, Article 19, Citizen D, EFF, EFN, IT-Politisk Forening, Panoptykon, Vrijschrift, Wikimedia Germany alongside other organisations are calling to reject Article 17 in its current form altogether in the EMFA.
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Remote biometric identification: a technical & legal guide
Lawmakers are more aware than ever of the risks posed by automated surveillance systems which track our faces, bodies and movements across time and place. In the EU's AI Act, facial and other biometric systems which can identify people at scale are referred to as 'Remote Biometric Identification', or RBI. But what exactly is RBI, and how can you tell the difference between an acceptable and unacceptable use of a biometric system?
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Only more rights will protect women on the internet
EDRi welcomes the proposal’s intention to effectively combat online gender-based violence through a specific Directive. However, EDRi is concerned with the specific focus on the criminalisation of online activities rather than addressing structural issues and root causes of gender-based violence. Furthermore, the Directive lacks a meaningful comprehension of how social media business models amplify violent gender-based violent content.
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Looking back at 2022: Protecting and advancing digital rights in times of crisis
In moments where we should be urgently tackling the climate crisis and working towards peace and justice worldwide, state funds and efforts seem to reinforce militarisation, fuel the climate crises and injustice. In response to increased surveillance and control practices coming from governments and private companies, EDRi members and partners have put forward a vision in which people live with dignity and vitality. What have we collectively achieved in 2022?
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