January 28, 2004

Polish government allowed to send SMS-spam

According to a recent decision from the Polish Data Protection Authority (Generalny Inspektor Ochrony Danych Osobowych – GIODO) a massive SMS-spamrun from the Polish government was perfectly legal. A governmental agency committed this run in June 2003 as a last-minute reminder to citizens of the upcoming referendum about the European Union. Of the 30 million […]

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December 16, 2009

Italy: The Anopticon project – putting surveillance back in its place

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Italien: Das Anopticon Projekt – wie Überwachung in seine Schranken gewiesen wird| http://www.unwatched.org/node/1633] Nowadays, CCTVs are the practical implementation of the “Panopticon”, theorised in 1791 by Jeremy Bentham as the “ideal prison”, one that keeps people in place by using their natural fear of being surveilled. The Anopticon […]

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June 4, 2014 · Blogs

Denmark: Data retention is here to stay despite the CJEU ruling

Following the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling on 8 April 2014, which declared the data retention directive 2006/24/EC invalid, the Danish parliament asked the government about the implications for the Danish data retention law. On 2 June 2014, the government presented its response in a 30-page legal analysis and at a […]

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November 16, 2011

Online Distribution of Audiovisual Works: EDRi's answer to the EC

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EDRi-Stellungnahme: Online-Vertrieb von audiovisuellen Werken | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.22_EDRi_Stellungnahme_Online_Vertrieb_von_audiovisuellen_Werken?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111116] Adapting the European policy to the digital environment would offer the audiovisual industry access to an even broader audience and would give the consumer greater access to cultural works. It is the opportunity to redefine a simple and harmonised framework. It […]

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June 21, 2006

UK DNA database shared with other countries

The UK Home Office has admitted that DNA stored in the UK National DNA Database has been shared with other countries. UK has today one of the largest law enforcement DNA database with profiles from 3.5 million people, including 500 000 children under 16 years old. The database was established in 1995. Privacy concerns regarding […]

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January 13, 2010 · Blogs

Last nominations call for European Civil Society Data Protection Award

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Letzte Nominierungsmöglichkeit für den European Civil Society Data Protection Award | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1644] AEDH (European Association for the Defence of Human rights) and EDRi (European Digital Rights) have launched the first edition of the European Civil Society Data Protection Award (ECSDPA). The prize aims at rewarding positive initiatives contributing […]

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January 13, 2010

EDRi position on data protection

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EDRis Standpunkt zum Datenschutz | http://www.unwatched.org/node/1645] EDRi submitted a response to the consultation on the legal framework for the fundamental right to protection of personal data. The response, which was sent on 23 December, sets out the challenges to the existing data protection framework and offers recommendations to […]

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February 11, 2004

More delay for IPR Enforcement and SoftPat Directives

The final vote on two of the most controversial information society Directives, the Directive on Software Patents and the Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights has been delayed once more. The IPRE directive was withdrawn last minute from the 9 February plenary agenda of the European Parliament. On 6 February the Council presented […]

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November 7, 2012

Personal data revealed by Skype to a private company

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Skype gab personenbezogene Daten an privates Unternehmen weiter | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.21_Skype_gab_personenbezogene_Daten_an_privates_Unternehmen_weiter?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20121107] A police file has recently revealed that, during a police investigation into the Anonymous-sanctioned cyberattacks on PayPal, the Dutch police has received personal data on a young Dutchman through an IT firm which, in its turn, received the […]

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June 18, 2014 · Blogs

Report on Snowden – Government apathy but increased public concern

In the wake of the first anniversary of Edward Snowden’s first revelations, a global analysis was published, assessing  the international impact of those disclosures. The report, “A crisis of Accountability” revealed not only that had most governments entirely ignored the Snowden revelations, but that some governments including the US and the UK have been actively […]

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July 5, 2006

Private hotlines questioned at EC Safer Internet Forum

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) With its newly adopted Communication on a ‘comprehensive EU strategy to promote and safeguard the rights of the child’, the Commission intends to pursue its global action on children’s rights. One may however wonder whether the strategy for fighting child porn on the Internet, which mostly relies […]

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November 21, 2018 · Blogs | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

ENDitorial: Facebook can never get it right

In 2017, a man posted live footage on Facebook of a murder he was committing. The platform decides whether you get to see this shocking footage or not – an incredibly tricky decision to make. And not really the kind of decision we want Facebook to be in charge of at all.

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