EDRi-gram, 12 June 2025

What has the EDRis network been up to over the past two weeks? Find out the latest digital rights news in our bi-weekly newsletter. In this edition: UK data adequacy under scrutiny, ProtectEU strategy a step further towards digital dystopia, and more!

By EDRi · June 12, 2025

It’s already mid-June and summer’s coming in hot – so is the news in the digital rights field.

In this edition of the EDRigram, read our analysis of ProtectEU, the internal security strategy presented by the European Commission. We unpack what this would mean for EU’s future digital policy, including on encryption, data retention, and border surveillance. You can also read civil society’s warning to the European Commission about not re-adopting the UK’s data adequacy decisions without meaningful reform. Also explore EDRi member Privacy International’s latest research on period-tracking apps and what the findings imply for the privacy of their users in this tumultous time for reproductive and sexual rights globally.

In other news, we’re really excited to share that Amber Sinha has been appointed as EDRi’s new Executive Director! We can’t wait for Amber to start his EDRi journey later this year – and we’re beyond thankful for Claire Fernandez’s bold and visionary leadership for the past seven years as she gets ready to step down as the Executive Director later this month.

Another exciting development – EDRi is now on Instagram! Following the closing of our X account, we are exploring creative ways to engage with a critical mass of people interested in broader human rights and climate justice issues.

Last important update for this edition – as part of the Civic Journalism Coalition, we, together with EDRi member ECNL, and Lighthouse Reports, are organising a series of online workshops for civil society and journalists to foster exchange, knowledge sharing and collaboration. If you’re a journalist or a civil society organisation, join the first webinar on 18 June for practical insights and hands-on discussions about how journalism can help bring justice to victims and how collective action can push back against spyware use.

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Balancing free expression and safety: concerns and risks regarding Meta’s new policies and their Impact on Palestinians

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Content moderation should be designed with free speech in mind, but online platforms do have an obligation to ensure a safe environment for their users, and that includes taking down harmful and violent content. However, these policies need to be fair, equitable, and unbiased. Meta’s announcements do not seem to align with these principles for a number of reasons. Read the full analysis.

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GDPR, our “data seatbalt”

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Disinformation is not freedom of speech

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In this episode, Joe McNamee, senior policy expert at EU DisinfoLab and former director of European Digital Rights (EDRi), discusses the challenges of combating disinformation in the EU. He explores how transparency, algorithmic accountability, and regulatory frameworks like the Digital Services Act intersect with digital rights. Listen now.

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