Privacy and data protection
Privacy and data protection are essential for us to live, connect, work, create, organise and more. Governments and companies have long used mass surveillance for control trying to legitimise snooping for health, security or other reasons. The near-total digitisation of our lives has made it easier to control, profile and profit from our attention, data, bodies and behaviours in ways that are very difficult for us to understand and challenge. European data protection standards such as the GDPR are a good step forward but we need more to effectively ensure enforcement and protection against unlawful surveillance practices.
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Temporary ePrivacy derogation: Companies like Facebook must never indiscriminately scan people’s private messages
In response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the extension of the interim ePrivacy derogation, EDRi warns that even when they are ‘voluntary’, any measures for digital platforms to indiscriminately scan people’s private messages are an unacceptable interference with our human rights.
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The sledgehammer approach of age verification tools won’t make the internet safer
Do you like scrolling through Instagram reels or watching vlogs on YouTube? Soon enough, you may have to give your personal ID details to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg to keep doing so.
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Health & digital rights organisations and trade unions to the Council of the EU: Uphold patients’ fundamental rights in the EHDS!
The Council of the EU must uphold European patients’ fundamental rights and agree on a right to ‘opt-out’ of the use of patient medical records in the final negotiations on the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
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EDRi-gram, 7 february 2024
In this edition of the EDRi-gram, we'll be discussing the Irish Media Regulator's proposal to implement mandatory age verification that could impact all EU Member States. This could be a dangerous move that will impact millions of people using platforms like YouTube or Instagram. Additionally, after three years of negotiations, the EU Council voted on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act last week. Our civil society AI coalition has summarised the latest updates on this landmark legislation and what's at stake.
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A complete U-turn in jurisprudence: HADOPI and the future of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s authority
This blog post argues that, if followed by the Court, the interpretation proposed by the AG would lead to a severe weakening of the CJEU’s authority and legitimacy, more generally. This would be of great symbolic significance in an already challenging environment for the Court which is faced with increasing defiance of Member States in the field of data protection.
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Automated data exchange in Prüm II: The EU’s securitisation mindset keeps encroaching on our fundamental rights
The agreement on automated data exchange for police cooperation, known as ‘Prüm II aligns with a broader EU trend of laws prioritising national security over human rights. The final text of this regulation has insufficient fundamental rights safeguards and could even encourage more member states to adopt facial recognition technology. The EU Parliament must reject the current Prüm II Regulation in the upcoming plenary vote.
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Council to vote on EU AI Act: What’s at stake?
The EU Council is set to vote on the AI Act on 2 February after three years of negotiation on this legislation. Our civil society AI coalition summarises the latest updates, what is at stake, and civil society's views on the AI Act.
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Encryption discussion during the 8 December trial: from myth to reality
The defendents’ fundamental right to privacy was treated flippantly and shown little interest by the judges and prosecution of the Paris criminal court in the ‘8 December’ trial hearings. This is a cause for concern and could lead to the justification of police’s ever-increasing surveillance.
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Portugal: New data retention law fails at the Constitutional court; Parliament will try for a third time
The Portuguese Constitutional Court has declared a new data retention law proposal to be unconstitutional. In response to the decision, the Parliament swiftly approved, in the beginning of the year, another dubious data retention regime, which might face the same fate - for the third time.
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Challenges ahead: European Media Freedom Act falls short in safeguarding journalists and EU fundamental values
The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) culminated in a politically pressured final trilogue on 15 December 2023. Unfortunately, the agreed-upon text lacks crucial safeguards against surveillance of journalists, which dangerously promote the use of spyware in the EU. It alsoraises concerns about Article 17 and the “media exemption”, potentially undermining the Digital Services Act (DSA) provisions.
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EDRi-gram, 17 January 2024
In December 2023, European Union (EU) institutions reached an agreement on the landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. But we think it might be too early to celebrate. Same for the European Media Freedom Act, which culminated in a politically pressured final trilogue in December. The final text leaves much to be desired in protecting journalists and EU fundamental rights.
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European Commission discusses “Going Dark”: Behind closed doors
EDRi and 20 organisations call on the High Level Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement for greater transparency and participation of all stakeholders.
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