Alternatives to dominant digital services
Today, the internet is dominanted by a small handful of huge centralised online platforms that provide social networking, communications and other services to billions of people globally. Their business is harvesting our most intimte moments and monetise them by selling our attention to advertising companies, politicians, or anybody willing to pay for targeting us with their content. But another internet is possible: We advocate for the redecentralisation of the internet and fight for an public online space that is serving the people rather than big data business.
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Digital ID – civil society demands protection of Users
One single app to rent a hotel room, prove your age, your educational, financial or health certificates, or to access digital public and private services? Sounds convenient? Well, it is. But if done wrong, it will be equally easy for corporations, authorities or even bad actors to create highly detailed profiles about yourself – spanning a vast area of your everyday life – or abuse this treasure of sensitive personal information in other ways.
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Regulating Big Tech in Europe with the Digital Services Act & Digital Markets Act
The EU’s latest flagship laws Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) are in force, the regulatory structure is (slowly) being set up, the first Big Tech companies are suing in court, and the European Commission throws a party (yes, really). But what does this mean for people in their role as platform users and what’s coming next?
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How EU’s plan to digitising travel documents might affect you
The EU Commission wants to store ID data on smartphones in the future and introduce contactless border controls with biometrics. This could affect all travelers in the future. EDRi member Digitalcourage submitted feedback to this EU initiative to intervene.
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Digital rights for civil society and civil society for digital rights: how surveillance technologies shrink civic spaces
Digital technology has transformed civic spaces - online and offline. In our digital societies, characterised by injustice and power imbalances, technology contributes to shrinking civic spaces. And to defend civic spaces against surveillance, we need strong and resourced civil society organisations and movements.
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European citizens demand router freedom
A pan-European survey, run by the Free Software Foundation Europe, has collected information from more than 1600 end-users and highlighted several obstacles to Router Freedom, such as lack of freedom of choice, provider lock-in and promotion of equipment running exclusively proprietary software.
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Government bans TikTok (sort of), Facebook has a bad day in court, and civil society organisations mobilise against Big Tech
Read through the most interesting developments at the intersection of human rights and technology from the Netherlands. This is the third update in this series.
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Missing: people’s rights in the EU Digital Decade
In June 2023, the European Union (EU) will adopt its first report on the state of the ‘Digital Decade’ – a plan launched in 2022 with digitalisation targets for business, public services and people’s digital skills. The Digital Decade reads more like a business plan than a policy programme.
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Czech online state services without Google Analytics: thanks to IuRe
The Czech organisation Iuridicum Remedium (IuRe) sent an open letter to the Ministry of Health in June 2021. It was mainly about the vaccination system, but its impact is much bigger: many state websites are getting rid of Google Analytics and thus taking more account of user privacy.
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2023: Important consultations for your Digital Rights!
Public consultations are an opportunity to influence future legislation at an early stage, in the European Union and beyond. They are your opportunity to help shaping a brighter future for digital rights, such as your right to a private life, data protection, or your freedom of opinion and expression.
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Everyone is on Mastodon now, but why?
Millions of people and organisations are flocking to Mastodon in the wake of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. EDRi is among those who recently started using the decentralised and free social network. What does Mastodon do better, and why does it get digital rights groups all excited?
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Sign the open letter about the right to install any software on any device
More than 100 civil society organisations across sectors have already signed the open letter about “The universal right to install any software on any device”. In the European Week for Waste Reduction, you can now sign the letter as an individual.
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Digital rights for Europe’s youth
The biggest youth platform in the world is joining the Platform Power Coalition for a Digital Services Act that empowers young people. European Youth Forum will bring youth voices to the coalition, vindicating that digital rights are youth rights. Young people should be able to enjoy their digital environment without fearing privacy violations, discrimination or manipulation. Here is what you need to know about this alliance.
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