ePrivacy Regulation

January 29, 2020 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

Data retention: “National security” is not a blank cheque

On 15 January, Advocate General (AG) Campos Sánchez-Bordona of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered his opinions on four cases regarding data retention regimes in France, Belgium and the UK, in the context of these Members States’ surveillance programmes.

January 15, 2020 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

Indiscriminate data retention considered disproportionate, once again

EDRi’s initial reaction on the press release of the AG Opinion on data retention Today’s Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Advocate General’s Opinions continue the firmly established case-law of the CJEU considering mass collection of individuals communications data incompatible with EU law. The Advocate General reaffirms that blanket retention of telecommunication data […]

January 14, 2020 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Online tracking industry / AdTech

NCC Report: Online advertising industry is out of control

Today, on 14 January 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC), a consumers group active on the field of digital rights, denounces in their report “Out of Control” current practices of the adtech industry, including systematic privacy breaches and unlawful behavioural profiling. The report focuses on the analysis of data traffic from ten popular apps such […]

December 18, 2019 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Equal access to the internet | Freedom of expression online | Online tracking industry / AdTech | Surveillance and data retention

Bits of Freedom celebrates its 20th anniversary

EDRi member Bits of Freedom celebrates its 20 year anniversary. Bits of Freedom believes an open and just society is only possible when people can participate in public life without fear of repercussions. For this, every person needs to be free to share information and their private life needs to be respected. The right to […]

December 4, 2019 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Privacy and confidentiality | Profiling practices

Why privacy is particularly crucial for people with disabilities

With data being described as the “new currency”, many questions arise around privacy and data protection. We all leave increasingly larger data footprints as we use more, and more advanced technologies. We let apps access our phonebook contacts, track our habits and behavior, and know our preferences. At other times, we do not even have […]

November 22, 2019 · Highlights | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality

EU Council moves the ePrivacy reform forward – with major flaws in its position

November 22, 2019 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality

ePrivacy: EU Member States push crucial reform on privacy norms close to a dead end

Today, on 22 November 2019, the Permanent Representatives Committee of the Council of the European Union (COREPER) has rejected the Council’s position on a draft ePrivacy Regulation. “In this era of disinformation and privacy scandals, refusing to ensure strong privacy protections in the ePrivacy Regulation is a step backwards for the EU,” said Diego Naranjo, […]

November 6, 2019 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Privacy and data protection | Disinformation and electoral interference | Equal access to the internet | Profiling practices

Twitter banning political ads – the tip of the iceberg

Twitter seems to have learnt the lessons of the 2016 US elections. After the revelation of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the link between the use of social media targeted political advertisement and the voting behaviour of specific groups of people has been explored and explained again and again. We now understand how social media platforms […]

October 23, 2019 · On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

The sixth attempt to introduce mandatory SIM registration in Romania

A tragic failure by the police to save a teenage girl who was abducted but managed to call the 112 emergency number three times before she was murdered, led to the adoption of a new Emergency Ordinance in Romania. The law introduces several measures to improve the 112 system, one of which is mandatory SIM card registration for all prepaid users. Currently approximately ten million prepaid SIM cards are used in Romania.

October 23, 2019 · Blogs | Information democracy | Privacy and data protection | Digital sustainability | Equal access to the internet | Freedom of expression online | Privacy and confidentiality

#PrivacyCamp20: Technology and Activism

The 8th annual Privacy Camp will take place in Brussels on 21 January 2020. With the focus on “Technology and Activism”, Privacy Camp 2020 will explore the significant role digital technology plays in activism, enabling people to bypass traditional power structures and fostering new forms of civil disobedience, but also enhancing the surveillance power of […]

October 10, 2019 · Open letters | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality

Open letter to EU Member States: Deliver ePrivacy now!

On 11 October 2019, EDRi, together with four other civil society organisations, sent an open letter to EU Member States, to urge to conclude the negotiations on the ePrivacy Regulation. The letter highlights the urgent need for a strong ePrivacy Regulation in order to tackle the problems created by the commercial surveillance business models, and […]

October 9, 2019 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality

Right a wrong: ePrivacy now!

When the European Commission proposed to replace the outdated and improperly enforced 2002 ePrivacy Directive with a new ePrivacy Regulation in January 2017, it marked a cautiously hopeful moment for digital rights advocates across Europe. With the backdrop of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), adopted in May 2018, Europe took a giant leap ahead […]