EDRi-gram, 19 May 2021
The increasing use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies – on our streets, in train stations, at protests, at sports matches and even in our global ‘town square’, Facebook – means that our freedom to be anonymous in public spaces, our freedom to just be, really does face an existential threat. The mask is a symbol of resistance against the growing use of mass facial recognition. Get this symbolic merch and support the work EDRi does.
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EDRi-gram, 19 May 2021
The increasing use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technologies – on our streets, in train stations, at protests, at sports matches and even in our global ‘town square’, Facebook – means that our freedom to be anonymous in public spaces, our freedom to just be, really does face an existential threat. The mask is a symbol of resistance against the growing use of mass facial recognition. Get this symbolic merch and support the work EDRi does.
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Spotify, don’t spy: global coalition of 180+ musicians and human rights groups take a stand against speech-recognition technology
“You can’t rock out when you’re under constant corporate surveillance. Spotify needs to drop this right now and do right by musicians, music fans, and all music workers.” - Tom Morello
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EU Parliament adopts the Covid Pass: risks for data protection and new forms of discrimination
At first glance, teh Digital Green Certificate may sound interesting, but upon further reflection, it quickly becomes clear that the proposed system has the potential to divide society and expose certificate holders to far-reaching surveillance by the authorities that issue the documents. Even worse, it exacerbates inequalities and increases social exclusion, shares EDRi's member epicenter.works.
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EDRi-gram, 5 May 2021
The shady AdTech business model used by Big Tech targets mothers who just had stillbirths with baby ads, and serial gamblers who are trying to quit with gambling ads. EDRi is working to create a better digital future, where people are put before profit. Will you donate to us to help make that happen?
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Dominant tech companies make their products incompatible deliberately
Imagine buying a new dining table from IKEA and although it’s a great table, it can only be used with IKEA-made chairs. For security reasons, the furniture maker tells you, the table is incompatible with chairs from third party vendors, sorry. Sounds ridiculous? Welcome to today’s online platform economy.
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EDRi-gram, 22 April 2021
Issues of non-discrimination and fundamental rights would have to be at the core of the approach to artificial intelligence, rather than considered after competition and industrial policy. A truly people-centred AI regulation would take a step back and acknowledge the inherent harms AI will perpetuate if deployed for certain purposes.
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Creating Conditions for a Decolonised Digital Rights Field
Since 2019, DFF and EDRi have been working to initiate a decolonising process for the digital rights field. Reflecting on the increased challenges to our digital rights, we realised how imperative it is that the field truly reflects everyone in European society. This means improving representation in the digital rights field, but more crucially undoing the power structures preventing us from protecting digital rights for everybody.
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EDRi-gram, 7 April 2021
Reflecting on the increased challenges to our digital rights, we realised how imperative it is that the field truly reflects everyone in European society. This means improving representation in the digital rights field, but more crucially undoing the power structures preventing us from protecting digital rights for everybody. Approaching digital rights through the lens of decoloniality invites us to interrogate how digital space is occupied, the people who are displaced, and the mechanisms of extraction it requires to exist. This process requires extra work, extra care, extra patience, extra humility as we interrogate that what seems natural.
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Why the electronic green vaccination certificate creates new problems instead of solving them
The National Council in Austria passed a legal basis for the electronic immunity certificate project within two days, skipping any kind of review procedure. The digital passes are not a ticket to a normal life, vaccination is. So, special attention should be paid to maintaining the trust of people and the voluntary nature of vaccination, ensuring that people's rights to privacy and freedom of choice are respected. EDRi's member epicenter.works explains what are the concerns with the deployment of green certificates and suggests alternatives to this project.
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European Commission must ban biometric mass surveillance practices, say 56 civil society groups
On 1 April, a coalition of 56 human rights, digital rights and social justice organisations sent a letter to European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, ahead of the long-awaited proposal for new EU laws on artificial intelligence. The coalition is calling on the Commissioner to prohibit uses of biometrics that enable mass surveillance or other dangerous and harmful uses of AI.
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EDRi-gram, 24 March 2021
Human rights mustn’t come second in the race to innovate, they should rather define innovations that better humanity. The European Commission’s upcoming proposal may be the last opportunity to prevent harmful uses of AI-powered technologies, many of which are already marginalising Europe’s racialised communities.
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EDRi-gram, 10 March 2021
Unless we take strong action, people in Europe could soon face the end of our privacy and anonymity in public spaces as we know it. We need to rise against the growing use of sinister, unnecessary and disproportionate technologies in our public spaces which abuse our faces. 34,000+ incredible supporters have already joined the fight by officially signing our formal “European Citizens’ Initiative”. Help us reach one million signatures by spreading the word, mobilising your friends and family and even writing to your national or European Parliamentary representatives.
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