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What the arrest of Telegram’s CEO means for digital rights
French prosecutors have charged Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for illegal content disseminated by users of his platform and the company’s failure to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. EDRi is following this case with great concern, here is why.
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EDRi-gram, 11 September 2024
With the post-election shake-up and the upcoming appointment of new European Commissioners, both governments and tech giants are making moves that could threaten our rights. In Denmark, efforts to broaden the definition of antisemitism, including criticism of the Israeli state, may lead to the misuse of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation to silence pro-Palestinian voices. In France, legal action against Telegram’s co-founder has intensified calls for stricter enforcement of the Digital Services Act. At the EU level, we’ve seen a troubling decision by the European Commission to cut funding for free software projects. In light of these challenges, and as we prepare for the next EU mandate, we’ve launched a collective strategy process with our members and partners to ensure civil society’s voice is heard in shaping the future of EU digital legislation. On 1 October, over 40 organisations will meet at the Tech and Society Summit to bring our collective vision on the intersection of technology, society, and the environment closer to decision-makers.
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Prioritising planet care: A vision for our digital future
Together, we can protect human rights, strengthen democracy, and reshape societal systems. Read about our commitment to empowering people to flourish and thrive, as part of our Vision for 2024 and beyond.
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Denmark will issue removal orders without court approval: Impacts on free speech and pro-Palestinian voices
Removal orders in the Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation currently require prior court authorisation in Denmark, but this will soon change as a consequence of a political agreement to strengthen the fight against antisemitism. Together with a broadened definition of antisemitism focusing on the State of Israel, the already highly problematic TCO Regulation could be further leveraged by Danish authorities for arbitrary censorship of pro-Palestinian voices on social media.
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Croatian TikTok: A battleground between pro-EU and anti-EU narratives
Gong, a Croatian democracy watchdog organisation and EDRi member, published an analysis of the political narratives on TikTok during the national 2024 election campaign. The research explores the political narratives and environment on TikTok in the pre-campaign and campaign period for the Croatian parliamentary elections. It highlights a vibrant and intricate political landscape on TikTok in Croatia, marked by a division between democratic and anti-democratic narratives aimed at swaying the platform's younger audience.
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Mass hacking and fundamental rights: a missed opportunity for the Court of Justice of the Euorpean Union?
On 30 April 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the ‘EncroChat’ case. The case emerged from recent European police cooperation operations against organised crime, involving the mass interception of encrypted communications by means of spyware (‘hacking’).
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Celebrating 25 years of Bits of Freedom!
In 2024, EDRi member Bits of Freedom celebrates its 25th anniversary. For a quarter of a century it has been their mission to shape internet policy in support of an open and just society. One in which people can hold those in power accountable and effectively question the status quo. Bits of Freedom does this through advocacy, campaigning and litigation, in the Netherlands and Brussels. Time to look back: what are the highlights of the past 25 years?
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Enforcing the European Union’s new digital platform laws: How it is going so far
It’s already September and the European Parliament’s summer break is officially over. While the legislature was sleeping, the European Union’s (EU) tech enforcers and their counterparts—Big Tech lobbyists—have been busy plotting their next moves. If you have been away over the summer, here is what you might have missed and what that means for the state of digital rights in the EU
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Age against the machine: the race to make online spaces age-appropriate
The race is on to make online spaces age-appropriate, but children’s best interest is no Olympic sport. While the internet was not designed with kids in mind, children, teens and young adults are now spending more time online than ever. Parents use video-sharing platforms to show cartoons to their toddlers, while kids and adolescents play online games, engage in social media, learn through online modules, and fashion their identities through their online activities.
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Towards a renewed strategy for the EDRi network
EDRi’s 2019-2024 Strategy – our first network-wide strategy - is coming to an end. It has served as a compass for our collective work for the last 5 years. In May this year, we started the process for our next directional document, to reflect our ambitions in uncertain times: EDRi Strategy 2025-2029.
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European Commission cuts funding support for Free Software projects
The Next Generation Internet initiative has supported Free Software projects with funding and technical assistance since 2018. Despite its proven success, the European Commission made the decision to cut this funding in the current draft for the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme. This decision highlights the larger problem of the lack of motivated and sustainable public funding for Free Software projects.
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Statement: EU takes modest step as AI law comes into effect
The EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act will finally come into force on August 1, 2024. While it's disappointing that the final law did not put people and their rights at the centre, it still contains some silver linings.
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