Results for ai act

August 2, 2021 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Freedom of expression online | Online tracking industry / AdTech | Platform regulation

Can the EU Digital Services Act contest the power of Big Tech’s algorithms? 

A progressive report on the Digital Services Act (DSA) adopted by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the European Parliament in July is the first major improvement of the draft law presented by the European Commission in December. MEPs expressed support for default protections from tracking and profiling for the purposes of advertising and recommending or ranking content. Now the ball is in the court of the leading committee on internal market and consumer protection (IMCO), which received 1313 pages of amendments to be voted in November.  EDRi's member Panoptykon Foundation explores if the Parliament would succeed in adopting a position that will contest the power of dominant online platforms which shape the digital public sphere in line with their commercial interests, at the expense of individuals and societies.

April 23, 2025 · Press mentions | Information democracy | Platform regulation

Commission slams Apple and Meta for breaching the Digital Markets Act, doesn’t stick the landing with fines

The European Commission has shown some teeth with the EU’s digital rulebook by slamming tech giants Apple and Meta with fines, and an order to stop the infringing behaviour. While we commend the strong stance, we're concerned about whether the low fines will actually lead to change of behaviour from the tech giants.

February 22, 2017 · Blogs

Proposed Espionage Act threatens free speech in the UK

The UK’s Law Commission has announced proposals that could mean journalists and whistleblowers are treated as spies if they “handle” official data. The ongoing open public consultation on the protection of official data, run by the Law Commission, suggests that the crime of espionage is changed so that it is “capable of being committed by […]

June 15, 2023 · Blogs | Open letters | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards

Open Letter: Make vulnerability disclosure in the Cyber Resilience Act more secure, not less

The CRA would require organisations to disclose software vulnerabilities to government agencies within 24 hours of exploitation. However, such recently exploited vulnerabilities are unlikely to be mitigated within such a short time, leading to real-time databases of software with unmitigated vulnerabilities in the possession of potentially dozens of government agencies. Read the open letter.

March 25, 2015 · Blogs

Patriot Act à la française: France to legalise unlawful surveillance

In recent years, France has increasingly tightened its laws on crimes committed on the Internet. From the LOPPSI law voted in 2012 to the latest anti-terror law voted in November 2014, the bill on Intelligence announced on 19 March by the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, is fully consistent with a history of repressive Internet […]

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November 4, 2009

ISPs Meeting sparks debate over Dutch Data Retention obligations

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Treffen der ISPs heizt Debatte über niederländische Vorratsdatenspeicherung an | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1569] Dutch government agencies held a meeting on 14 October 2009 with internet service providers, looking for ways to clarify the data retention obligations under the country’s new Data Retention Act. After the meeting, ISPs still face uncertainty […]

December 14, 2021 · Blogs | Press releases | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Freedom of expression online | Surveillance and data retention

Has the Parliament effectively wielded the Digital Services Act to challenge platform power? The verdict is, somewhat.

Today, the European Parliament Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) has approved its much-anticipated report on the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA affects how intermediaries like Google and Amazon regulate and influence user activity on their platforms, including people's ability to exercise their rights and freedoms online. The DSA also aims at limiting the negative impact of the most powerful online platforms on people and puts limits on how EU Member States can interfere with people’s free expression online.

May 10, 2006

Public debate on draft anti-terror act in Denmark

On May 10 2006, a public hearing was held in the Danish Parliament on a new proposal for an anti-terror act including surveillance measures. The proposed law may increase camera surveillance, obliges carriers to store passenger data for one year and introduces new measures for the intelligence service. According to the proposal, the intelligence service […]

December 1, 2010

ICO started applying fines for Data Protection Act breaches

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ICO verhängt erste Strafen für Datenschutz-Verstöße | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2395] After having received increased powers in April 2010, the UK Data protection authority (Information Commissioner Office – ICO) has recently used these powers to fine an organisation and a local authority for having breached the Data Protection Act. Hertfordshire County […]

October 9, 2024 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Biometric surveillance in the Czech Republic: the Ministry of the Interior is trying to circumvent the Artificial Intelligence Act

EDRi-member Iuridicum Remedium draws attention to the way biometric surveillance at airports should be legalised in the Czech Republic. According to the proposal, virtually anyone could become a person under surveillance. Moreover, surveillance could be extended from airports to other public spaces.

August 29, 2007

US law threatens non-US citizens' privacy rights

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act proposed by the US Administration was passed by the US Congress on 4 August 2007 allowing US intelligence services to intercept electronic communications between US, but also non-US citizens, if the communication passes across US-based networks, without needing a court order. A […]