February 21, 2023 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

PEGA Committee must call for an EU-wide ban on spyware

The European Parliament’s inquiry committee on Pegasus and other similar spyware (PEGA) is working on a set of recommendations for the regulation of the use of intrusive spyware by EU Member States. It is still unclear whether the Committee will dare to set vitally needed red lines and call for a sufficiently protective European Union-wide framework against spyware in its non-binding report. EDRi submitted amendments to strengthen the demands for the protection of affected people and democratic values.

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March 24, 2021 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality

Trust is a two-way street: the UK’s digital identity framework

Trust is a two-way street, and while the British government’s digital identity trust framework definitely makes steps in the right direction, those efforts need to be accompanied by a commitment to transparency and integrity, says EDRi's member Open Rights Group in response to the government's policy paper on UK’s digital identity and attributes trust framework.

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November 16, 2022 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Cross border access to data | Surveillance and data retention

Advocate General recklessly calls for watering down privacy protections

On 27 October, the Advocate General (AG) Szpunar of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) released his opinion on the French ‘HADOPI’ system against online copyright infringements. The case has potentially important implications for the ongoing political debate on data retention by private companies for access by law enforcement authorities.

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October 25, 2023 · Blogs | EDRi-gram | Highlights | Information democracy | Open internet and inclusive technology | Privacy and data protection

EDRi-gram, 25 October 2023

We’re in high spirits after mobilising 23 activists from over 13 European countries to come to Brussels in support early October. Representing over 200,000 supporters of EDRi’s Stop Scanning Me campaign, these activists urged Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to ensure everyone’s digital security amid mass surveillance measures in the CSA Regulation. Meta is up to no good again after the European Court of Justice declared their handling of user data illegal earlier this year. In a move to circumvent EU privacy law, the tech corporation reportedly plans to ask users to pay up to €228 a year to preserve their fundamental right to privacy on its platforms.

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February 12, 2020 · Highlights | On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

PI and Liberty submit a new legal challenge against MI5

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December 19, 2018 · On the ground | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Poland: Privatised law enforcement or protecting users’ rights?

How to regulate content moderation policies of Facebook and other social media platforms is a challenge worldwide. In Poland, such a discussion has been ongoing for more than a year. A few months ago, the previous Minister of Digital Affairs Anna Strzezynska presented the proposal for a new bill, whose aim was to guarantee that […]

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January 23, 2023 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology

Only more rights will protect women on the internet

EDRi welcomes the proposal’s intention to effectively combat online gender-based violence through a specific Directive. However, EDRi is concerned with the specific focus on the criminalisation of online activities rather than addressing structural issues and root causes of gender-based violence. Furthermore, the Directive lacks a meaningful comprehension of how social media business models amplify violent gender-based violent content.

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January 19, 2022 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Profiling practices | Surveillance and data retention

Managed by Bots: surveillance of gig-economy workers

WIE’s recent ‘Managed by Bots’ report demonstrates that opaque algorithms dictate almost every aspect of gig economy employees’ work, offering them limited visibility or avenues for redress when a decision is made about them.

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March 17, 2022 · Blogs | Highlights | Open letters | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Private communications are a cornerstone of democratic society and must be protected in online CSAM legislation

On 17 March 2022, EDRi and 34 other civil society organisations jointly raised our voices to the European Commission to demand that the forthcoming EU ‘Legislation to effectively tackle child sexual abuse’ complies with EU fundamental rights and freedoms. We are seriously concerned that the draft law does not meet the requirements of proportionality and legitimacy that are rightly required of all EU laws, and would set a dangerous precedent for mass spying on private communications.

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February 3, 2020 · Highlights | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Freedom of expression online | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

ECtHR: Obligation on companies to identify all phone users is legal

On 30 January 2020, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued its judgment on the Breyer VS Germany case.

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October 26, 2023 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

If the Commissioner isn’t responsible for DG HOME’s alleged unethical and unlawful actions, who is?

Serious concerns have been raised about the EU CSA Regulation by technologists, lawyers, NGOs, EU institutions, some child protection advocates and survivors and more. Recent allegations suggest that not only have these stakeholders been ignored - but that there may have been attempts by the EU Commission to manipulate the democratic process. The head of the Commission's Home Affairs unit has been grilled by MEPs about these allegations

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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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