November 19, 2014 · Blogs

PNR: Losing rights and paying for it

Passenger Name Records (PNR) are files containing information provided by the passengers and collected by air carriers for commercial purposes. PNR can contain information ranging from itineraries, to credit card numbers and meal preferences. The fact that this type of data is obtained by flight companies is not new; similar data may be obtained internally […]

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June 4, 2008

Social networking sites might be regulated in EU

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) On 27 May 2008, the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) called for new legislation that would regulate social networking sites. ENISA, which was created in 2004 to oversee online security measures in the 27 EU countries, issued a preliminary report of its General Report in […]

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February 11, 2015 · Blogs

Macedonia: Massive surveillance revelation: 20 000 people wiretapped

On 10 February, EDRi-member Metamorphosis, expressed grave concern about the publicly announced allegations of mass and unauthorised surveillance of citizens. Invasions of privacy directly affect freedom of expression in Macedonia, and fuel the overall climate of fear and silence. On 9 February 2015, the Macedonian opposition leader Zoran Zaev held a press conference in Skopje, […]

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July 11, 2013 · Blogs

Leaked Regulation: Schrödinger's net neutrality on its way in Europe

A curious text is currently circulating in the Brussels bubble: It is the draft Regulation for a telecoms single market (pdf) mentioned by Commissioner Neelie Kroes, responsible for Europe’s Digital Agenda, in her speech in front of the European Parliament last Tuesday, 9 July (Update: Consolidated version, pdf). During this speech, she emphasised the necessity […]

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June 13, 2016 · Blogs

BEUC and EDRi urge the EU Commission not to undermine citizens’ privacy in trade agreements

On 10 June 2016, the European Consumers Association (BEUC) and European Digital Rights (EDRi) sent an open letter to the EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, to express our concerns about the inclusion of a ban on (non-defined) “data localisation” in trade agreements. We urge the Commission to defend one of the biggest successes of […]

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January 18, 2013 · Blogs

2013: EU consultations of importance to digital rights

The European Commission frequently organises consultations, which are open not only to industry but also civil society and individual citizens. These are valuable opportunities to shape policy in a positive way from the outset rather than needing to take to the streets when the wrong policy is developed based on bad analysis. The following is […]

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November 25, 2016 · Blogs

New leaks confirm TiSA proposals that would undermine civil liberties

Today, on 25 November 2016, German blog Netzpolitik.org in association with Greenpeace published new leaked documents concerning the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), a “trade” agreement that is currently being negotiated between 23 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including the European Union.

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January 12, 2011

New media law in Hungary allows Internet censorship

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Das neue ungarische Mediengesetz ermöglicht Zensur | http://www.unwatched.org/node/2500] On 1 January 2011, a new Hungarian media law entered into force, giving the government the power to control the Internet, endangering the freedom of speech and journalism in general. As Hungary took over the EU Presidency on 6 January […]

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August 29, 2007 · Blogs

DRM-free music is supported by consumers

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A new survey regarding music online conducted by Entertainment Media Research in association with the law firm Olswang showed that the DRM (Digital Rights Management) related problems are more present in UK consumers’ opinion than the music industry initially thought. The survey was made on more than […]

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January 17, 2007 · Blogs

Sony loses DRM case in France

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Sony UK and Sony France have lost a case against The French consumer protection association UFC Que Choisir because they did not inform the consumers about the lack of interoperability of their products and services to other devices. The decision taken by the Nanterre Tribunal has found […]

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April 23, 2014 · Blogs

Google modifies ToS: “automated systems analyse your content”

In an update to its Gmail Terms of Service, Google has clarified that all users inbound and outbound email is scanned by automated software. Addressing the decision, a Google spokesperson said “We want our policies to be simple and easy for users to understand. These changes will give people even greater clarity and are based […]

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April 23, 2014 · Blogs

Microsoft terms of service – a half-step forward

A few weeks ago, there was a media storm when it became known that Microsoft was availing of the right that it gives itself, in its terms of service, to search through users’ Hotmail messages. In the aftermath of the media storm, Microsoft took the welcome decision to change its terms of service. In future, […]

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