Highlights
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EDRi-gram, 25 September 2024
With summer on its way out, there might be a chill in the air. But there’s none to be found in Brussels and the digital rights world. Last week, we were glued to our screens as the European Commission President Elect, Ursula Von Der Leyen, announced the Commissoners-Designate and what they’ll be in charge of. Now, these Commissioners will go through live-streamed hearings at the European Parliament next month before starting work. We’ll be watching with interest… and maybe popcorn. This week, we’re also concerned about the impact of age verification proposals on fundamental rights and the well-being of children and young people. Spoiler alert: it’s not good. Evidence & lived experiences show these tools are dangerous, discriminatory and unsafe. EDRi and 63 organisations and experts wrote to the European Commission to urge them to halt proposals for using such tools in the implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the eIDAS Regulation. Now that we’ve all firmly, albeit sadly, turned off our summer out-of-office messages, it’s also time to catch up on what Google, Meta, X and other tech giants have been up to over the summer, especially with the DSA and Digital Markets Act (DMA) in place.
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Making decision-making just and accountable: A vision for our digital future
Together, we can protect human rights, strengthen democracy, and reshape societal systems. Read about our commitment to making decision-making just and accountable, as part of our Vision for 2024 and beyond.
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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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EDRi-gram, 10 July 2024
This is the last edition of EDRi-gram before we take a (well-deserved) break for the summer. Keeping you updated about the various goings-on in the busy world of digital rights is a toilsome task! Don’t worry, this edition is full of interesting news and recommendations for you to follow up on all summer long. You can start by going through a new document pool by the Resist Europol coalition that brings together all relevant resources you’ll need to understand and contest EU’s securitisation agenda, especially through the seemingly never-ending expansion of the bloc’s agency for law enforcement cooperation. With Hungary taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union as of last week, EDRi and 47 digital rights, human rights & children’s rights organisations have called for the withdrawal of the draft CSA Regulation proposal. It is high time to say good riddance to a proposal that is not only unfit for addressing the complex issue of child sexual abuse, but would also undermine private and safe online communication for all.
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Empowering people to flourish and thrive: 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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EDRi-gram, 26 June 2024
Summer seems to have finally arrived in Brussels, just in time for the heart of the EU to reel from the results of the European elections. Maybe having the sun will make it all bearable? Stay tuned as we test out this theory. We do have some positive news to share from the world of digital rights. Earlier this month, LinkedIn gave in to pressure from civil society and Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcers based on a complaint by EDRi and three partner organisations. The platform will no longer allow advertisers to target ads based on sensitive personal data from users. A big win for privacy! On a similar sunny note, EDRi and the Reclaim Your Face campaign were recently recognised as the Europe AI Policy Leader in Civil Society for our groundbreaking work advocating for a world free from biometric mass surveillance. Do you want to read more about the EDRi network’s impact on defending and advancing digital rights? Our 2023 Annual Report is out now for you to peruse!
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Privacy win: LinkedIn limits ad targeting after EDRi complaint
LinkedIn gave in to pressure from civil society and Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcers based on a complaint by EDRi and three partner organisations. The platform will no longer allow advertisers to target ads based on sensitive personal data from users. That’s a big win for privacy and the DSA, but it also exposes one of the DSA’s more hidden weaknesses.
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EDRi-gram, 29 May 2024
What an exciting few weeks we have ahead of us – the European Parliament elections are just around the corner and much is about to change. The next time you read the EDRigram, we will have new decision-makers in place at the Parliament. But before we jump too far ahead into the future, here’s what’s been happening in the digital rights world since we last met. EDRi member La Quadrature du Net is taking legal action against the French prime minister’s decision to block TikTok in New Caledonia. The French government is resorting to the tried-and-tested authoritarian reflexes of obstructing people’s freedom of expression as tensions in the archipelago reach new heights. In this EDRigram, we’re also getting real about EU’s surveillance agenda, and looking at how to enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in a way that realises its full potential.
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Position paper: GDPR enforcement done right
There is an urgent need to enhance legal certainty and prevent actions that undermine the effectiveness of and trust in GDPR enforcement. EDRi and Access Now have co-drafted a position paper on the EU Proposal for additional procedural rules concerning the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
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EDRi-gram, 2 May 2024
Last week, the European Parliament was doing everything everywhere all at once in the run up to the final plenary before the June EU elections. Let’s run through some of the highlights. In a disappointing move that will endanger medical secrecy, the European Parliament passed the European Health Data Space (EHDS). This law will expose everyone’s medical records to unnecessary security and privacy risks in the name of research and “innovation”. The Parliament also took its final step on the much touted Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act last week. With the final version of the law full of loopholes and missed opportunties, we’re left to contend with how to keep advocating for the protection of peope’s rights and fight against biometric mass surveillance. We also directed our attention towards the European Commission’s concerning decision to allow unrestricted data flows to Israel. Together with Access Now and 11 other civil society groups, we wrote to the Commission to ask for clarity on this decision.
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EDRi-gram, 17 April 2024
But what knocked everyone's socks off was the massive victory in Greece, where EDRi member Homo Digitalis' strategic complaint led to a record-breaking fine to the Ministry of Asylum and Migration for violating people's data protection rights in its border management systems KENTAUROS and HYPERION. This news from Greece, immediately followed by the European Parliament's vote on the European Union's asylum system (EURODAC), makes it irrefutable that the Migration Pact is the EU's attempt to codify in law surveillance practices that not only gravely harm the rights of migrants but which are illegal.
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