April 9, 2003 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Austria looses court case about surveillance costs

Telecommunication companies in Austria have won an important court case against the federal government. Though in general the wiretapping provisions in the new Telecommunications Law were not deemed unconstitutional, from 2004 onwards, government will have to reimburse providers for the costs of procuring and maintaining surveillance equipment. Full verdict in German (27.02.2003) http://www.vfgh.gv.at/vfgh/presse/G37-16-02.pdf

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May 18, 2011

Privatised enforcement series E: Online trading platforms sell out

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Serie: Privatisierung der Online-Strafverfolgung – Teil E | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.10_Serie_Privatisierung_der_Online-Strafverfolgung%E2%80%93Teil_E] In a bizarrely designed document, looking like a mix between a wedding invitation and an accident in a blue ink factory, leading online retailers Amazon, eBay and Priceminister have sold out the interests of their consumers in a “memorandum […]

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December 4, 2013 · Blogs

Bits of Freedom presents policy package against mass surveillance

On 4 December 2013 the EDRi member Dutch digital rights organisation Bits of Freedom launched a website petitioning the Dutch government to take numerous concrete measures to end mass surveillance. It officially presented the policy package to the Minister of Interior Affairs the day before. On the campaign website, bespied-ons-niet.nl (translated as: ‘don’t spy on […]

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October 9, 2013 · Blogs

ENDitorial: Lessons From The Failure Of Licences For Europe

Now that the Licences for Europe has failed so comprehensively, it is time to reflect on what types of voluntary or self-regulatory initiatives are likely to work and which are likely to fail. Last May, at the Stockholm Internet Forum, EDRi ran an “unconference” session, which brainstormed about what characteristics a self-regulatory initiative would need […]

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June 19, 2019 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Cross border access to data

EU rushes into e-evidence negotiations without common position

On 6 June 2019, the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) – which gathers all EU Member States Ministers of Justice – asked the European Commission to start international negotiations on cross-border access to electronic evidence in criminal matters (so-called “e-evidence”) in the upcoming months. The Commission should enter into bilateral negotiations with the United […]

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February 24, 2016 · Blogs

Possible Voters’ Registry Breach raise Privacy Issues in Macedonia

The return to democracy in Macedonia has been marred by the need to solve political and human rights issues. The right to privacy has been at the centre of the political crisis, and state institutions undergoing reform struggle to meet the standards set by the Law on Personal Data Protection. From February to May 2015, […]

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June 20, 2019 · Blogs | Information democracy | Disinformation and electoral interference | Freedom of expression online

E-Commerce review: Opening Pandora’s box?

The next important battle for our rights and freedoms in the digital sphere is looming on the horizon. While the public debate has recently focused on upload filters for alleged copyright infringements and online “terrorist” content, a planned legislative review will look more broadly at the rules for all types of illegal and “harmful” content.

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February 22, 2017 · Blogs

Illegal surveillance against civil society continues in Macedonia

Macedonian civil society organisations advocating for human rights and democracy have come under increasing pressure by the authorities. They have previously been caught up in use of the state apparatus for massive illegal surveillance, including wiretapping of activists.

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February 24, 2016 · Blogs

Transparent consumers – a report by Bits of Freedom

Data brokers follow everything you do. What you buy, where you live, what you like and what this information says about you. They sell profiles based on this information to other companies. Starting last summer, Bits of Freedom conducted research with Dutch online newspaper De Correspondent as part of the ‘Quantified society’ programme. We looked […]

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January 18, 2006

Comparison between US and European anti-terror policies

In a report titled ” Threatening the Open Society: Comparing Anti-terror Policies and Strategies in the U.S. and Europe” and released on 13 December 2005, Privacy International compared the anti-terrorism approaches in the U.S. with those in Europe. The report finds that on every policy involving mass surveillance of its citizens, the EU is prepared […]

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April 23, 2003

Global Privacy Award announced

The human rights group Privacy International (PI) has announced that it will this year host the first international Big Brother Awards. The Awards, which started in the UK in 1998, were established to ‘name and shame’ the most relentless government and private sector privacy invaders. They have now become an annual event in fifteen countries. […]

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July 3, 2019 · Blogs | Information democracy | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

EU worries over the possibility of losing wiretapping powers

5G telecoms networks could render obsolete the “lawful interception” techniques that police is traditionally using, unless the European Union and national governments take action. This was revealed in internal EU documents obtained by EDRi member Statewatch, that has published a new analysis explaining the issues and calling for a public debate. “It is unsurprising that […]

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