Our work
EDRi is the biggest European network defending rights and freedoms online. We work to to challenge private and state actors who abuse their power to control or manipulate the public. We do so by advocating for robust and enforced laws, informing and mobilising people, promoting a healthy and accountable technology market, and building a movement of organisations and individuals committed to digital rights and freedoms in a connected world.
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EU’s new artificial intelligence law risks enabling Orwellian surveillance states
When analysing how AI systems might impact people of colour, migrants and other marginalised groups, context matters. Whilst AI developers may be able to predict and prevent some negative biases, for the most part, such systems will inevitably exacerbate injustice. This is because AI systems are deployed in a wider context of systematic discrimination and violence, particularly in the field of policing and migration.
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France’s highest court validates mass surveillance in the long term
On 21 April, the Conseil d’Etat, France’s highest administrative court, released its decision on mass telecom surveillance. EDRi's member La Quadrature du Net (LQDN) shares its first impressions on this disconcerting ruling which puts the European Union’s legal order at risk.
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European Parliament confirms new online censorship powers
EU regulation against ‘terrorist’ content online (TERREG) was approved without a final vote by the European Parliament on April 29th. The regulation will harm our ability to freely express ourselves and access information online.
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EU’s AI law needs major changes to prevent discrimination and mass surveillance
The European Commission has just launched the its proposed regulation on artificial intelligence (AI). As governments and companies continue to use AI in ways that lead to discrimination and surveillance, the proposed law must go much further to protect people and their rights. Here’s a deeper analysis from the EDRi network, including some initial recommendations for change.
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New AI law proposal calls out harms of biometric mass surveillance, but does not resolve them
On 21 April 2021, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a new law on artificial intelligence. With it, the Commission acknowledged some of the numerous threats biometric mass surveillance poses for our freedoms and dignity. However, despite its seemingly good intentions, the proposed law falls seriously short on our demands and does not in fact impose a ban on most cases of biometric mass surveillance – as urged by EDRi and the Reclaim Your Face coalition.
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Luca contact tracing app: CCC calls for an immediate moratorium
A dubious business model, defective software, irregularities in the awarding of contracts: EDRi member, Chaos Computer Club (CCC) demands an immediate end to federal funding for the “Luca” contact tracing app.
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How Austria wants to implement upload filters and ancillary copyright
EDRi's member epicenter.works sheds light on the Austrian implementation of the controversial Copyright Directive passed in the EU Parliament in 2019. As positive as some draft provisions regarding upload filters are, the Austrian implementation of ancillary copyright is poor.
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Dominant tech companies make their products incompatible deliberately
Imagine buying a new dining table from IKEA and although it’s a great table, it can only be used with IKEA-made chairs. For security reasons, the furniture maker tells you, the table is incompatible with chairs from third party vendors, sorry. Sounds ridiculous? Welcome to today’s online platform economy.
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Anonymity is indispensable
Would an anonymity ban on social media be a good solution to counter all the hatred on these platforms? We were asked this question by a national newspaper in response to such calls. Here is the reaction. of EDRi's member Bits of Freedom.
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Why EU needs to be wary that AI will increase racial profiling
Central to predictive policing systems is the notion that risk and crime can be objectively and accurately forecasted. Not only is this presumption flawed, it demonstrates a growing commitment to the idea that data can and should be used to quantify, track and predict human behaviour. The increased use of such systems is part of a growing ideology that social issues can be solved by allocating more power, resources - and now technologies - to police.
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E-Evidence: trilogues kick off on safeguards vs. efficiency
The Regulation on European production and preservation orders for electronic evidence in criminal matters (E-Evidence) aims to create clear rules on how a judicial authority in one Member State can request electronic evidence from a service provider in another Member State. One such use case would be requesting user data from a platform in another EU country during an investigation. We wrote about our main issues in the past.
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Upcoming judgment against mass surveillance in France
On Wednesday 21 April, the Conseil d'Etat (France's highest administrative court) will issue its final decision in the most important case that EDRi's observer La Quadrature du Net (LQDN) has ever brought against the intelligence services. This will be the end of six years of proceedings, dozens of briefs and countless twists and turns that have made LQDN what it is today.
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