EDRi-gram, 2 June 2021
The GDPR is still in its infancy, and while it is too soon to consider revisions to the law, EU regulators and decision-makers have the power to improve enforcement and fulfil its promise for vindicating data protection rights and spurring the development of privacy-protecting business models. The past three years hold important lessons for decision-makers and regulators to leverage to deliver on that promise. A lot is at stake.
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The urgent need to #reclaimyourface
The rise of automated video surveillance is often touted as a quick, easy, and efficient solution to complex societal problems. In reality, roll-outs of facial recognition and other...
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New win against biometric mass surveillance in Germany
In November 2020, reporters at Netzpolitik.org revealed that the city of Karlsruhe wanted to establish a smart video surveillance system in the city centre. The plan involved an...
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noyb aims to end “cookie banner terror” and issues more than 500 GDPR complaint
EDRi's member noyb.eu sent over 500 draft complaints to companies who use unlawful cookie banners - making it the largest wave of complaints since the GDPR came into...
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Stronger enforcement is key to the effectiveness of the GDPR
On the third anniversary of the entering into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), EDRi sent a message to Members of the European Parliament calling for...
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GDPR: Three years in, and its future and success are still up in the air
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is not living up to the hype. When first implemented in 2018, the GDPR was presented as the new world standard...
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3rd Anniversary of the GDPR
Europe can pride itself to have passed the most progressive privacy legislation in the world, but small errors in the law and the lack of enforcement lead to...
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Transparency for institutions, privacy for the people
Much has been said about abuses of personal data by platforms like Facebook and other private companies. However, there is little observation of non-compliance by public administrations or...
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Human rights groups win European Court of Human Rights claim on UK mass surveillance regime
Eight year legal battle against UK mass surveillance programmes exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden culminates in victory for privacy. EDRi's member Privacy International worked actively to make this...
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UK: European Court decision in Big Brother Watch case does not go far enough to protect free expression and privacy
The finding of a violation is testimony to the doggedness of civil society in holding the UK government to account in the wake of the Snowden revelations about...
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European Court on Human Rights Bought Spy Agencies’ Spin on Mass Surveillance
For good or ill, and I believe for ill more than for good, with the present judgment the Strasbourg Court has just opened the gates for an electronic...
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Antiterrorists in a bike shed – policy and politics of the Terrorist Content Regulation
The short story: an ill-fated law with dubious evidence base, targeting an important modern problem with poorly chosen measures, goes through an exhausting legislative process to be adopted...
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Copyright Reform in Germany: Damage Reduction on Article 17
While waiting for the implementation guidelines from the European Commission and the CJEU ruling on whether upload filters are legal or not, some Member States are implementing the...
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Telecom reform in Austria: consumers must benefit from Router Freedom
Austria is reforming its telecommunications law to incorporate the new European directives on electronic communications. The Austrian government has now an unique opportunity to leverage router freedom at...
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From ‘trustworthy AI’ to curtailing harmful uses: EDRi’s impact on the proposed EU AI Act
Civil society has been the underdog in the European Union's (EU) negotiations on the artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. The goal of the regulation has been to create the...
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Challenge against Clearview AI in Europe
This legal challenge relates to complaints filed with 5 European data protection authorities against Clearview AI, Inc. ("Clearview"), a facial recognition technology company building a gigantic database of...
Recommended
Read: The data divide
Ada Lovelace Institute
Data-driven technologies have not been experienced equally. Symptom-tracking apps, contact-tracing apps and consumer-facing mental and physical-health apps have been of immense use and value during the pandemic, particularly for health purposes, but not for everyone.
Read how the digital divide has shaped a ‘data divide’ here.
Watch: AdTech is watching you!
EDRi member, Open Rights Group
The reality is that AdTech target mothers who just had stillbirths with baby ads, and serial gamblers who are trying to quit with gambling ads or simply send creepy ads. The industry built an extensive infrastructure made of online trackers embedded in website plugins, social media buttons, videos, web fonts, software development kits and many other things. This means that websites struggle not to track their visitors even if they want to. This video shows how your most personal information is being sold to the highest bidder.
Watch the video to learn how to #StopStalkerAds here.
Listen: Fighting Stalkerware
EDRi member, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Stalkerware is the class of apps that are sold commercially for the purpose of covertly spying on another person’s device. They can be blatantly marketed as tools for “catching a cheating spouse” or they may euphemistically describe themselves as tools for tracking your children or employees’ devices. The key defining feature of stalkerware is that it is designed to operate covertly, to trick the user into believing that they are not being monitored.
Listen to learn what efforts against stalkerware have achieved here.
Do: Protect yourself from online tracking
EDRi member, Privacy International
Online tracking is a widespread practice with questionable ethics and legal backing. Almost anything you do online leaves digital footprints. Part of it is understandable – it makes sense that the website you are visiting gets to know something about you, such as the simple fact that you visited it. But most online services you use, whether these are an app, website or smart device, don’t keep this information for themselves. Behind the scenes there are third parties – entities unrelated to the service you use – with different purposes.
Click here to disrupt the tracking industry & stay private online.
Events
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RightsCon 2021
Every year, RightsCon brings together business leaders, policy makers, general counsels, advocates, technologists, academics, government representatives, and journalists from around the world to tackle the most pressing issues...
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Transatlantic discussion: Time to ban surveillance-based advertising?
The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) is hosting a discussion between MEP Alexandra Geese and Congresswoman Lori Trahan on Transatlantic solutions to protect consumers from surveillance-based advertising. The discussion...
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Data for Policy 2021
The sixth International Data for Policy Conference will take place in London in September 2021. The conference series is the premier global forum for multiple disciplinary and cross-sector...
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Fundamental Rights Forum 2021
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights has launched their call for proposals to host a session at the Fundamental Rights Forum 2021 (RightsForum21). This year they are...
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“Cultural Flow (s) and Mobility in the Age of Media Convergence”
EDRi's member Alternatif Bilişim hopes to come together with you around the following or other themes at the 5th New Media Studies National Congress, which will be held...
Jobs
CENTR | Policy Officer | remote | 07.06.2021
EDRi | Campaigns Officer | Brussels, Belgium/remote possible | 09.06.2021
Amnesty Tech | Head of the Algorithmic Accountability Lab | 09.06.2021
UNDP | International Consultant on digital technologies and AI | Remote | 10.06.2021
Digital Action | Campaigns Adviser | Remote | 20.06.2021
EDRi |English proofreaders and EU languages translators (Volunteering) | Remote | until filled
Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte | Legal, Fundraising and Communications interns | Germany | deadline: various
noyb | Legal trainee | Vienna | deadline: until filled
Wikimedia Foundation | Senior Manager, Movement Communications, Movement Advocacy Community Manager; Campaign Associate & more | Remote | deadline: until filled
CitizenLab |Head of Marketing | Belgium; Germany | deadline: until filled
Mozilla | Senior Germany Campaigner, Senior Project Manager & more | Multiple locations | deadline: until filled