Information democracy
Powerful companies and governments control the way the internet and new technologies are deployed. These actors blur the lines on corporate power in ways that have tremendous impact on people and democracies. The dominant business model of ‘Big tech’ platforms is based on surveillance, polarization and power imbalances. This ‘surveillance capitalism’ has had a global impact on democracy. For example, state and private actors can use the internet and technologies to spread political disinformation, to manipulate electoral results, to attack human rights defenders and to limit civic space.
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Not everything is allowed in politics: Upcoming political advertising legislation must introduce limits
In November 2021, the European Commission launched a proposal for a regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. The document will place harmonised rules for more transparency of political advertising to facilitate the sector’s internal market. Now, it is the European Parliament’s turn, specifically the IMCO (Internal Market and Consumer Protection) Committee to lead the legislative process.
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Propaganda cannot be silenced with censorship, freedom of expression can
By order of all governments in the European Union, internet providers and platforms are blocking access to Russian state media. However, European governments would do better to stimulate the independent media in both Russia and Ukraine.
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EDRi-gram, 9 March 2022
In this edition of the EDRi-gram, we voice the call of 72 civil society organisations to abolish manipulative dark patterns and creepy online ads. We are also urging the international community to provide the necessary support to Ukraine and its human rights defenders to ensure that people are protected from cyber threats.
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EDRi-gram, 16 February 2022
In this edition of the EDRi-gram, we put EDRi's affiliate ECNL in the spotlight to take a peek at the fights they are fighting to advance our freedoms online and offline. We're also looking at a comparison between the Western Balkans countries' digital advancement and what the digitalisation of all aspects of life mean citizens' well-being. We're also exploring the Belgian authority's decision that IAB Europe’s consent pop-ups are incompatible with the GDPR, which has been confirmed by 27 data protection authorities from 20 EU countries involved in the cross-border investigation.
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#PrivacyCamp22: Event Summary
The theme of the 10th-anniversary edition of Privacy Camp was "Digital at the centre, rights at the margins" and included thirteen sessions on a variety of topics. The event was attended by 300 people. If you missed the event or want a reminder of what happened in a session, find the session summaries and video recordings below.
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EDRi-gram, 2 February 2022
In this edition of the EDRi-gram, we dive into the secret negotiations about Europol's reform that would enable mass surveillance of people and discriminatory predictive policing. We also take a peek at the European Parliament's approval of a rights-respecting Digital Services Act and its proposal to ban the use of sensitive personal data for online ads.
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What went down at #PrivacyCamp22?
EDRi’s annual flagship event Privacy Camp took place yesterday, on 25 January, for the first time online. We hope many of you were able to attend and that you found the event just as inspirational as the in-person experience.
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EDRi-gram, 19 January 2022
In this first edition of the EDRi-gram for 2022, we look at how people are pushing MEPs to take the opportunity to end surveillance ads. We also explore why it is important for our health data to stay private and how the e-Evidence Regulation threatens the confidentiality of this sensitive information. We also look into what it’s like to have an algorithm as your boss through the stories of millions of people worldwide, working in the gig economy for companies like Uber, Deliveroo, Bolt & Just Eat, who are subjected to unprecedented surveillance.
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Informing the Disinfo Debate: A Policy Guide for Protecting Human Rights
Today, 20 December 2021, EDRi, Access Now and Civil Liberties Union for Europe publish a joint report as a continuation of its 2018 predecessor, Informing the “Disinformation” Debate. The main outcome of this report is a set of policy recommendations addressed to the EU co-legislators focusing on: how to effectively mitigate fundamental rights risks that result from the manipulative methods deployed by large online platforms that exploit people’s vulnerabilities and their sensitive data; and how to combat disinformation in a manner that is fully compliant with fundamental rights standards.
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EDRi-gram, 15 December 2021
In this last edition of the EDRi-gram for 2021, we look at the good, the bad and the ugly in the much-anticipated Digital Services Act report, approved by the European Parliament IMCO Committee this week. We also take a look back at this year of resilience, reflecting on the impact EDRi and the Reclaim Your Face coalition had on digital rights.
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EDRi-gram, 1 December 2021
In this edition, we tell you how you can take your power back from Big Tech companies and help us create a democratic, fair and open internet for a just society. We are also calling on the EU to put our fundamental rights first in the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA).
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Transposition of the Copyright Directive in Spain
The transposition of the Copyright Directive in Spain has been done with no Parliament debate. While the political parties could ask for it, they will likely not do so for fear of conflicting with certain famous artists from the copyright lobby, who are lobbying for an extreme position on copyrights.
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