New EU law amplifies risks of state over-reach and mass surveillance
The EDRi network published its position paper on the proposed Regulation on automated data exchange for police cooperation (“Prüm II”). The European Commission’s Prüm II proposal fails to put in place vital safeguards designed to protect all of us from state overreach and authoritarian mass surveillance practices. In the worst case scenario, we may no longer be able to walk freely on our streets as the new law would treat large parts of the population as a criminal before proven otherwise.
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New EU law amplifies risks of state over-reach and mass surveillance
The EDRi network published its position paper on the proposed Regulation on automated data exchange for police cooperation (“Prüm II”). The European Commission’s Prüm II proposal fails to put in place vital safeguards designed to protect all of us from state overreach and authoritarian mass surveillance practices. In the worst case scenario, we may no longer be able to walk freely on our streets as the new law would treat large parts of the population as a criminal before proven otherwise.
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EU Digital Services Act brings us closer to an inclusive, equitable internet
Strong enforcement of the DSA can bring human rights improvements, but real alternatives to the current dominant surveillance business model are still needed
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EDRi-gram, 6 July 2022
“Use of digital technologies is taken as a given, and yet for a variety of reasons almost one-fifth of Czech households do not have internet access and a quarter of adults do not have a smartphone. Regrettably, in Czech media there is not much discussion about this and other challenges of the digital era.” ― Hynek Trojánek, PR coordinator for the Promoting Human Rights in the Digital Era
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WFH – Watched from Home: Office 365 and workplace surveillance creep
In the past few years, the pandemic and the shift to working from home have bolstered the use of remote surveillance software to monitor employees. In 2020, global demand for employee monitoring software increased 108 per cent by April and 70 per cent by May 2020 compared to pre-pandemic times. At the same time, search engine queries for "How to monitor employees working from home" increased by 1,705 per cent in April and 652 per cent in May 2020 compared to the previous year.
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The UK Data Reform Bill and the British Bill of Rights: a tragedy in two acts
The dust hasn’t settled since plans to undermine everyone’s right to data protection were announced, but the UK Government are at it again. Plans to ditch the Human Rights Act in the UK were just unveiled, in a combined effort to steamroll the rule of law and the freedoms we have always taken for granted. EDRi member Open Rights Group explains how the impact of this constitutional butchery reverberates in data protection, and why both the Data Reform Bill and the Bill of Rights follow a common thread.
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Good news: Dutch secret services destroy unlawfully stored information on millions of innocent citizens
The secret services store information on millions of citizens that they are no longer by law allowed to have. EDRi member Bits of Freefom filed a complaint about this with the supervisor. The supervisor stated on June 15, 2022, that the data must be destroyed.
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Challenging the use of GPS tags to monitor asylum seekers in the UK
The latest rollout of GPS tags to monitor migrants is another step in creating a 'hostile environment' for asylum seekers in the UK.
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Mass surveillance of external travellers may go on, says EU’s highest court
On 21 June 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its judgment in case C-817/19 Ligue des droits humains from Belgium which challenged the validity of the Passenger Name Records (PNR) Directive. Regrettably, the PNR Directive as such was found to be compatible with the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
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Digital rights for Europe’s youth
The biggest youth platform in the world is joining the Platform Power Coalition for a Digital Services Act that empowers young people. European Youth Forum will bring youth voices to the coalition, vindicating that digital rights are youth rights. Young people should be able to enjoy their digital environment without fearing privacy violations, discrimination or manipulation. Here is what you need to know about this alliance.
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Take a virtual look back with EDRi’s interactive Annual Report: How did the EDRi network protect your digital rights in 2021?
You know privacy matters but not sure what this means in practice? Do you sense much happened in Europe last year to challenge private and state actors abusing their power in the digital age? The pandemic has left you wondering what you can do to ensure technologies work for people? Then check out EDRi’s interactive 2021 Annual Report to better understand the challenges imposed on your digital rights, and how the EDRi network addressed them. Learn and engage with our strong community so we can enjoy an inclusive and equitable digital environment.
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Hooray! Bits of Freedom freed the data of millions of people from the clutches of the secret services!
The Complaints Department of the Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services (CTIVD), the Dutch supervisor of the secret services, ruled that EDRi member Bits of Freedom is right!
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Belgium’s data retention law must not undermine people’s right to privacy
Belgium's Parliament will soon vote on the draft law on the collection and retention of identification data and metadata in the electronic communications sector and the provision of such data to authorities. This draft law, as it is and if adopted without adequate adjustments, would pose a threat to people’s rights, such as the right to privacy and data protection, freedom of expression and information, press freedoms and professional secrecy guarantees, and would potentially set a dangerous precedent for other Member States.
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