January 15, 2020 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Privacy and data protection | Biometrics | Profiling practices | Surveillance and data retention

Your face rings a bell: Three common uses of facial recognition

Not all applications of facial recognition are created equal. In this third installment, we sift through the hype to analyse three increasingly common uses of facial recognition: tagging pictures on Facebook, automated border control gates, and police surveillance.

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July 14, 2015 · Blogs

EU PNR: Unproven, ineffective strategies are not security

“When people are scared, they need something done that will make them feel safe, even if it doesn’t truly make them safer. Politicians naturally want to do something in response to crisis, even if that something doesn’t make any sense.” Bruce Schneier, Security expert The proposal for a EU PNR Directive (Fight against terrorism and […]

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September 7, 2016 · Blogs

New documents reveal the truth behind the Hate Speech Code

EDRi obtained documents revealing different drafts of the Code of Conduct against Hate Speech and the correspondence exchanged between the European Commission and the four big companies that concluded the agreement on 31 May 2016: Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft. These documents complement an interesting response sent by Commissioner Jourová to a letter from the […]

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September 13, 2006

Opposition to draft WIPO Broadcast Treaty

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Several representatives of the IT, telecommunications, consumer electronics industry, public interest organizations and performers joined in a common statement issued on 5 September to oppose the WIPO Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasts and Broadcasting Organizations. The treaty creates a new class of IP rights meant to […]

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December 17, 2008

UK Government now in favour of the extension of the copyright term

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) At UK Music’s Creators’ Conference on 1 December 2008, Culture Minister Andy Burnham announced the backing of the UK Government to extending the copyright term for sound recordings to 70 years. The decision goes against the recommendations of Andrew Gowers, whose 2006 review of copyright is in […]

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February 2, 2006

EU Visa Database under scrutiny of the European Data Protection

In a public opinion from 20 January 2006, Mr. Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor, was very critical about the wide access possibilities the European Commission wanted to give to the new Visa Information System. The Commission published its “Proposal for a Council Decision concerning access for consultation of the Visa Information System (VIS)” […]

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September 21, 2011 · Blogs

New states adopt Internet blocking measures for unwanted online gambling

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Weitere Länder ergreifen Sperrmaßnahmen gegen unerwünschtes Glücksspiel | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.18_Weitere_Laender_ergreifen_Sperrmassnahmen_gegen_unerwuenschtes_Gluecksspiel?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20111004] As the EU regulation of online gambling is still being discussed, more EU countries try to implement Internet blocking as a valid solution to stop access of its own citizens to locally unauthorized gambling websites. A hearing on online […]

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July 15, 2015 · Blogs

ICANN considers banning privacy services

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is proposing a new Internet policy which comes at the expense of human rights, especially privacy and freedom of speech. The proposed rules are addressed to companies that provide WHOIS privacy/proxy services (which restrict access to domain registrant information) and limit their availability to individuals only, […]

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January 14, 2009

France: ARMT was useless

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) At the end of December 2008 it was publicly presented the first yearly report of the French Authority for Regulations of the DRMs (Autorité de régulation des mesures techniques – ARMT) that should have ensured the interoperability of the DRM systems and allow the private copies. This […]

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October 8, 2008

The European Union wants to introduce virtual body screening in airports

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A draft European Commission regulation has in view the introduction of millimetre wave imaging scanners in airports to be used “individually or in combination, as a primary or secondary means and under defined conditions”. The scanner will provide a “virtual strip search” of travellers within the EU. […]

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December 2, 2015 · Blogs

ENDitorial: After Paris – selling freedom for security

Shortly after the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland stated: “Terrorists can’t destroy our democracies, only we can do that”. Shortly after the Paris attacks, European Parliament adopted amendments to its Report on “the prevention of radicalisation and recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organisations”, demanding […]

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September 26, 2007

Recommanded Reading

Data Protection Framework Decision: EDPS concerned about dilution of Data Protection standards http://edps.europa.eu/EDPSWEB/webdav/site/mySite/shared/Documents/EDPS/PressNews/Press/2007/EDPS-2007-10-EN_DPFD.pdf Nuffield Council on Bioethics : The forensic use of bioinformation: ethical issues. This Report considers whether current police powers in the UK to take and retain bioinformation are justified by the need to fight crime. Executive Summary http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/fileLibrary/pdf/The_forensic_use_of_bioinformation_-_Executive_Summary.pdf Full Report http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/fileLibrary/pdf/The_forensic_use_of_bioinformation_-_ethical_issues.pdf

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