November 20, 2013 · Blogs

Search Engines Pushed To Inefficient Internet Filtering

The UK government continues its endeavours to censor the Internet and has succeeded in convincing search engines to filter search term results “associated” with child abuse images within its child abuse policy, despite the lack of proof of any efficiency of such measures, the rinks to abuses and the dangers to the citizens’ democratic rights. […]

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November 21, 2007

UK govt asks Internet companies to assist in fighting online terrorism

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister, made a statement on 14 November 2007 announcing, among other security measures, the intention to ask Internet companies to assist the government in its fight against online terrorist propaganda by finding ways to stop such content. The Prime Minister stated the Home […]

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January 14, 2015 · Blogs

Legal Service Opinion on CJEU Data Retention ruling

The European Parliament (EP) legal services last week presented an opinion on the Court of Justice of the EU’s (CJEU) ruling on the Data Retention Directive (DRD) and its implications. The opinion, after restating the principles that are essential to permit any interference on fundamental rights (proportionality, justification and necessity), answered specific questions raised by […]

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May 18, 2011

EU and China adopt harmonised approach to censorship

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [EU und China harmonisieren ihre Zensurmaßnahmen | http://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_9.10_EU_und_China_harmonisieren_ihre_Zensurmassnahmen] The European Union and China appear to have agreed to share their preferred approaches to censorship, producing a model that is a perfect mix between current EU and Chinese policies. On 20 April 2011, at an event in the European […]

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December 5, 2005

Illegal video surveillance on Slovenian motorways

In Slovenia the number of installed surveillance video cameras on the roads is increasing rapidly. Apart from the CCTV systems on sections of so called “smart motorways” – which enable real-time monitoring of important traffic parameters and the informing of drivers via traffic portals – a large number of surveillance video cameras is installed on […]

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January 28, 2015 · Blogs

French Patriot Act: Do we really need more surveillance?

On 21 January, only two weeks after the attacks in Paris, the French government announced a big bundle of new security measures, a “general mobilisation against terrorism”. But does the country need more surveillance? France has introduced telecommunications data retention for communications more than ten years ago, it has extensive video surveillance and intelligence services […]

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December 4, 2013 · Blogs

No Warrant Internet Spying By French Authorities

On 26 November 2013, the French National Assembly discussed the draft of the military programming law which could give the authorities the power to collect, without a judge warrant and in real time, telecom users’ data as a result of an amendment introduced by the Senate in first reading. Presently the internal security code stipulates […]

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April 24, 2013 · Blogs

Big Brother Awards Germany 2013

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Deutsche Big Brother Awards 2013 | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.8_Deutsche_Big_Brother_Awards_2013?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130424] On 12 April 2013 the thirteenth German Big Brother Awards gala was held in Bielefeld, Germany. Organised by EDRi member digitalcourage, the awards featured five winners in different categories. No winners showed up to collect their award – in fact, only […]

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December 8, 2023 · Open letters | Open internet and inclusive technology | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics

NGOs and experts warn AI Act negotiators: don’t trade our rights!

On 8 December 2023, 70 civil society groups and 34 expert individuals sent an urgent letter to the Council of EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament to urge them "Do not trade away our rights!" in the final trilogue (negotiation) on the landmark Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.

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April 23, 2003

Germany expands academic use of copyrighted material

On 11 April German parliament agreed on the implementation-proposal of the EU Copyright Directive (EUCD). Only the small liberal opposition party opposed. Public debate centered around new educational and scientific limitations on copyright. The new law allows teachers to make works available to a limited group of class members, e.g. in an intranet, for the […]

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April 10, 2018 · Campaigns | Information democracy | Freedom of expression online | Platform regulation

Stop the #CensorshipMachine!

In September 2016 the European Commission proposed a controversial Copyright Directive that, if accepted, will threaten our freedoms online. The European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) is set to vote on the issue in June, and your action is needed to stop the “censorship machine”! What can you do? See the list of JURI Committee […]

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December 18, 2013 · Blogs

Romania: re-criminalising defamation?

In a totally unexpected move, the Romanian Parliament has decided to re-criminalise libel and insult offences, that were repealed in 2006. Although the Parliament was supposed to discuss something else – an old bill from 2011 that proposed the repeal of a single article of the Criminal Code, namely Article 74/1 – the bill was […]

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