April 3, 2024 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Mandatory fingerprints on IDs will be up for re-negotiation

On 21 March 2024, the European Court of Justice ruled the European Union (EU) regulation that enacts fingerprint IDs to be invalid for formal reasons. The principle of mandatory fingerprint collection was declared to be compliant with fundamental rights. However, the court has required a new regulation to be adopted on a different legal basis, opening up opportunities to ultimately overturn the fingerprint obligation.

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June 4, 2020 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Surveillance and data retention

EDRi submits response to the European Commission AI consultation – will you?

Today, 4th June 2020, European Digital Rights (EDRi) submitted its response to the European Commission’s public consultation on artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, EDRi released its recommendations for a fundamental rights-based Artificial Intelligence Regulation.

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May 24, 2022 · Blogs | Highlights | Open letters | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

The voices of human rights defenders affected by the Pegasus spyware must be heard

EDRi and 22 civil society organisations urge the established European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware to ensure that the systematic targetting of human rights defenders with these technologies is fully examined by the Committee, and that the voices of human rights defenders affected are heard.

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February 25, 2026 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Age verification | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Chat Control is in the final stretch – but it could be a marathon, not a sprint

With final negotiations on the controversial CSA Regulation underway, you’d be forgiven for thinking that our digital rights are out of the woods. However, even though the recently-agreed position of EU Member States is a cautiously optimistic step, we are still far from a final deal. Perhaps the most worrying issue that remains is the threat of age verification becoming mandatory across all digital methods of private communication – a hugely disproportionate limitation on our privacy and free speech.

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March 24, 2021 · Blogs | EDRi-gram | Information democracy | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

The EU should regulate AI on the basis of rights, not risks

EDRi's member Access Now explains why the upcoming legislative proposal on AI should be a rights-based law, like the GDPR. The European Commission must not compromise our rights by substituting a mere risk mitigation exercise by the very actors with a vested interest in rolling out this technology. 

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May 9, 2022 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Regulating Migration Tech: How the EU’s AI Act can better protect people on the move

As the European Union amends the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) exploring the impact of AI systems on marginalised communities is vital. AI systems are increasingly developed, tested and deployed to judge and control migrants and people on the move in harmful ways. How can the AI Act prevent this?

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June 4, 2020 · Blogs | Open internet and inclusive technology | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Can the EU make AI “trustworthy”? No – but they can make it just

European Digital Rights (EDRi) submitted its answer to the European Commission’s consultation on the AI White Paper.

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June 5, 2019 · Highlights | On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Surveillance and data retention

Facebook fails to avoid CJEU judgment on NSA case

On 31 May 2019, the Irish Supreme Court decided over an unprecedented application by Facebook. The decision is part of an ongoing procedure on Facebook’s involvement with the United States Nationa Security Agency (NSA) under the so-called “PRISM” surveillance program before the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) and the Irish High Court.

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April 4, 2018 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

FIPR: Advocacy against the ‘Database State’

In this blogpost published on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of EDRi we present our member FiPR.

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April 4, 2018 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Freedom of expression online | Privacy and confidentiality

Digitale Gesellschaft: Fighting for digitals rights in Germany

Our German member Digitale Gesellschaft was founded in 2010. The organisation's main goals are digital rights advocacy and effective campaigns. In this blogpost we present their work to defend digital rights in Germany.

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March 5, 2025 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Apple and the long secret arm of the UK Government

Apple disabled their 'advanced data protection' service for UK customers following a secret UK Government order demanding access to global user data. EDRi member Privacy International criticises this weakening of security standards for users in the United Kingdom.

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June 19, 2019 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

German Big Brother Awards – one “winner” reacts and appears

The German Big Brother Awards (BBA) gala was held on 8 June 2019 in Bielefeld, Germany. Organised annually since 2000 by EDRi member Digitalcourage, this year’s gala was the third to be streamed live in English in addition to the original German. For the second time, the venue was Bielefeld theatre, where the stage set […]

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