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Our dependency on Facebook – life-threatening?
What is your priority when a terrorist attack or a natural disaster takes place close to where your parents live or where your friend went on holidays? Obviously, you would immediately like to know how your loved ones are doing. You will call and text them until you get in touch.
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Captured states – e-Privacy Regulation victim of a “lobby onslaught”
Compared to non-governmental organisations and trade unions, private corporations are far better equipped to influence European level decision-making. A report “Captured states: when EU governments are a channel for corporate interests” by Corporate Europe Observatory’s (CEO) describes the various ways corporations approach the Member States of the European Union to maximise their impact.
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Why should we vote in the EU elections?
What are your plans for the coming days? We have a suggestion: The European elections will take place – and it’s absolutely crucial to go and vote!
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Christchurch call − pseudo-counter-terrorism at the cost of human rights?
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Arden showed compassionate and empathetic leadership in her response to the Christchurch terrorist attack on a mosque in her country on 15 March 2019. On 16 May in Paris, Arden and the French President Emmanuel Macron co-launched the Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist […]
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ePrivacy: Private data retention through the back door
Blanket data retention has been prohibited in several court decisions by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the German Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG). In spite of this, some of the EU Member States want to reintroduce it for the use by law enforcement authorities – through a back door in the ePrivacy Regulation.
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Hey Google, where does the path lead?
If you do not know the directions to a certain place, you use a digital device to find your way. With our noses glued to the screen, we blindly follow the instructions of Google Maps, or its competitor. But do you know which way you are being led?
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Google-Huawei case highlights the importance of free software
Google denies the Chinese IT giant Huawei access to Google’s proprietary components of the Android mobile operating system, which threatens IT security. This highlights the importance of free software for technology users, public bodies, and businesses.
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Passenger surveillance brought before courts in Germany and Austria
EDRi members Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF, Society for Civil Rights) and Epicenter.works have taken legal action against the mass retention and processing of Passenger Name Records (PNR) before German and Austrian courts and authorities. The European PNR Directive (Directive 2016/681) requires airlines to automatically transfer their passengers’ data to state authorities. There, the data are […]
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EDRi strategic planning: A collective journey towards a strengthened network
On 6 and 7 April, European Digital Rights (EDRi) network held its General Assembly in London. EDRi members elected three new Board members and a new President, Anna Fielder, a long-standing privacy expert, who succeeds Andreas Krisch – EDRi President of ten years who lead the network through years of achievements and milestones. This General […]
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EU elections – protecting our data to protect us from manipulation
The campaigns for the European Parliament elections that will take place on 23-27 May 2019 are well under-way. Since the last elections in 2014, much has changed in the way political campaigns are conducted. Central to these changes is the role played by our data.
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It starts with free Pokémon Go, it ends with Bolsonaro
Chile was the first country in the world to have a net neutrality law, but it is not enforced at all. A simple search across mobile internet providers shows a large offer of “free” data if you’re using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, or Pokémon Go. This is called “zero-rating” and means people […]
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Protecting personal data world wide: Convention 108+
Almost one year after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entered into force in the European Union (EU), the question often arises about what could other countries around the world do to protect their citizens’ personal data. Although there are countries that have data protection laws in place, many still do not, or have laws […]
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