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 […]

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November 17, 2021 · Blogs | On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Biometrics | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

Big brother at the Prague airport. The state refuses to explain how the biometric camera system works

When Václav Mach, collaborator of the Czech digital-legal organization, an EDRi member, Iuridicum Remedium (IuRe) and law student at the University of Olomouc, asked the state for more detailed information on the use of smart biometric cameras at Prague's Václav Havel Airport, he obtained just general phrases. "They kept secret what they could. Their non-transparency doesn’t add to their credibility,“ he says in an interview with HlídacíPes.org. The article below is a summary of the more extensive interview, translated from Czech into English by EDRi member IuRe.

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September 12, 2012

EDPS opinion on the EU database for asylum seekers

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Stellungnahme des EDSB zur Asylwerber-Datenbank der EU | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.17_Stellungnahme_des_EDSB_zur_Asylwerber-Datenbank_der_EU?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20120918] On 5 September 2012, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) issued his opinion on the amended Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of EURODAC database for the comparison of […]

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June 4, 2015 · Blogs

Surveillance of air passengers: Letter to Parliamentarians

Today, 4 June, in light of the discussion in the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the amendments for the Passenger Name Record (PNR) proposal, we have sent the following e-mail to all members in the Committee: “Dear Ms/Mr ……, Ahead of today’s debate on the proposed EU-PNR Directive, EDRi […]

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April 25, 2007

ENDitorial: The Transparent Drug Addict – Choosing Therapy Over Privacy?

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) On 1 March 2007 the Austrian Department of Health enacted its highly controversial revision of the Narcotic Substances Act, thus provoking an immediate outcry from both the medical and pharmaceutical associations and privacy experts. The draft has also been heavily criticised in the run-up to its execution […]

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September 11, 2013 · Blogs

More than 20 000 protest in Berlin against surveillance

The Freiheit statt Angst (Freedom Not Fear) mass anti-surveillance rally took place in Berlin, Germany on 7 September 2013. The event was organized by a broad civil coalition of over 80 NGO, associations and parties demanding an end to surveillance and a clear statement from the government on the surveillance scandal. While the organizers expected […]

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May 9, 2007

European Commission supports Privacy Enhancing Technologies

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Commissioner Franco Frattini, who is responsible for the legislation concerning co-operation between European police as well as data protection of European police, has shown public support for privacy enhancing technologies (PETs). Frattini’s position is surprising taking into consideration its open support for other privacy-invasive projects such as […]

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November 22, 2003

FIPR workshop on snooping-laws in the UK

On 22 October, EDRI members FIPR and Privacy International held a public meeting to assess proposed government legislation to retain and snoop on information about the phone and Internet activity of everyone in the UK. Speakers from the government side tried to convince a sceptical audience that the plans were a necessary and proportionate response […]

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September 26, 2012

Freedom Not Fear 2012

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Freiheit statt Angst 2012 | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.18_Freiheit_statt_Angst_2012?pk_campaign=twun&pk_kwd=20121008] The 4-day “Freedom Not Fear 2012” (FNF 2012) event came to a successful end on Monday, 17 September 2012. Organisations and individuals from 11 EU-member states participated to raise their voice for better privacy safeguards, to protest against emerging surveillance measures and […]

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November 5, 2003

New telecommunication law in Germany

On 15 October the German Federal Government adopted a draft new telecommunication act. The draft aims, inter alia, at implementing the European Directive on privacy and electronic communications (2002/58/EC), but will not introduce the spam-ban described in Article 13 of the Directive. In Germany spam will be banned through an update of the Act against […]

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May 21, 2008

The French Government goes against CNIL in biometric passports

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Ignoring the opinion of the French Data Protection Authority – the National Commission for Information and Liberties (CNIL), on 4 May 2008, the French Government passed a decree on the basis of which the French citizens will have biometric passports that will include eight fingerprints and a […]

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July 14, 2015 · Blogs

EU PNR: Unproven, ineffective strategies are not security

“When people are scared, they need something done that will make them feel safe, even if it doesn’t truly make them safer. Politicians naturally want to do something in response to crisis, even if that something doesn’t make any sense.” Bruce Schneier, Security expert The proposal for a EU PNR Directive (Fight against terrorism and […]

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