April 7, 2021 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Data protection standards | Inclusive technologies

Why the electronic green vaccination certificate creates new problems instead of solving them

The National Council in Austria passed a legal basis for the electronic immunity certificate project within two days, skipping any kind of review procedure. The digital passes are not a ticket to a normal life, vaccination is. So, special attention should be paid to maintaining the trust of people and the voluntary nature of vaccination, ensuring that people's rights to privacy and freedom of choice are respected. EDRi's member epicenter.works explains what are the concerns with the deployment of green certificates and suggests alternatives to this project.

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June 1, 2021 · Blogs | Information democracy | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

From ‘trustworthy AI’ to curtailing harmful uses: EDRi’s impact on the proposed EU AI Act

Civil society has been the underdog in the European Union's (EU) negotiations on the artificial intelligence (AI) regulation. The goal of the regulation has been to create the conditions for AI to be developed and deployed across Europe, so any shift towards prioritising people’s safety, dignity and rights feels like a great achievement. Whilst a lot needs to happen to make this shift a reality in the final text, EDRi takes stock of it’s impact on the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA). EDRi and partners mobilised beyond organisations traditionally following digital initiatives managing to establish that some uses of AI are simply unacceptable. 

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January 27, 2021 · Blogs | EDRi-gram | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality

The pros and cons of moving to e-IDs

EDRi member Epicenter.works give their position on electronic identity (e-ID) in light of the continues work on e-ID in Austria. They share that as convenient as the e-ID may seem and as much it is being communicated as the logical evolution of the classic ID, caution must be exercised when it comes to creating, storing and accessing sensitive identity data. Utmost caution is required when the private sector and the state use shared infrastructures for this purpose.

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May 3, 2023 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Irish and French parliamentarians sound the alarm about EU’s CSA Regulation

The Irish parliament’s justice committee and the French Senate have become the latest voices to sound the alarm about the risk of general monitoring of people’s messages in the proposed Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Regulation.

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April 6, 2023 · Blogs | Highlights | Press releases | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality

EU-US plan offensive to legitimise police access to data, civil society responds amid growing fears – Press Release

On 6 April 2023, EDRi and 8 partners sent an open letter to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Margrethe Vestager, as well Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Through the letter, the organisations called out the clear and deliberate plans to disregard international human rights standards in the EU-US approaches to security in the digitalised society, in particular in regards to end-to-end-encryption.

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September 13, 2023 · Blogs | Campaigns | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality

The Stop Scanning Me movement organised a mass protest in Berlin against dangerous surveillance law

The German alliance against chat control "ChatkontrolleSTOPPEN!" mobilised people in a protest against the European Commission's mass surveillance plans under the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation (CSAR). The action took place during the visit of the European Union Interior Commissioner to the conference of the German Interior ministers in Berlin.

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November 25, 2020 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Alternatives to dominant digital services | Artificial intelligence (AI)

EU alphabet soup of digital acts: DSA, DMA and DGA

Members of the European Commission appointed in 2019 agreed to put digital policies as one of the cornerstones of EU legislation between 2019-2023. These include the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Data Governance Act (DGA). So, what are the differences between these acts?

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September 25, 2023 · Blogs | Highlights | Press releases | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Press Release (CSA Regulation): Who benefits from the EU Commission’s mass surveillance law?

A newly-published independent investigation uncovered that the European Commission has been promoting industry interests in its proposed law to regulate the spread of child sexual abuse material online. 

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August 20, 2024 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Alternatives to dominant digital services

European Commission cuts funding support for Free Software projects

The Next Generation Internet initiative has supported Free Software projects with funding and technical assistance since 2018. Despite its proven success, the European Commission made the decision to cut this funding in the current draft for the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme. This decision highlights the larger problem of the lack of motivated and sustainable public funding for Free Software projects.

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February 16, 2022 · Blogs | Highlights | Information democracy | Open internet and inclusive technology | Privacy and data protection

#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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April 29, 2020 · Document pools | Information democracy | Alternatives to dominant digital services | Disinformation and electoral interference | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Digital Services Act / Digital Markets Act: Document pool

The DSA-DMA package will affect how intermediaries regulate and influence user activity on their platforms, including people's ability to exercise their rights and freedoms online. It also aims at limiting the abuse of power by very large and gatekeeper platforms.

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April 29, 2020 · Blogs | Information democracy | Alternatives to dominant digital services | Data protection standards | Disinformation and electoral interference | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Everything you need to know about the DSA

We have created a document pool in which we will be listing relevant articles and documents related to the DSA. This will allow you to follow the developments of content moderation and regulatory actions in Europe.

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