June 14, 2023 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Data protection standards | Surveillance and data retention

Snowden revelations: ten years on

Ten years ago, the first revelations about US mass surveillance were published in the UK and USA. The revelations swiftly widened to encompass details about the role of the UK’s GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) in the global gathering of vast amounts of communications data.

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October 11, 2006

SWIFT found in breach of Belgian laws

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) A report issued by the Belgian Government on the very discussed SWIFT case of transfer of financial transaction data to the U.S. Government, concluded that SWIFT breached the Belgian law. The Belgian Commission responsible with the first report on the case stated: “The Commission is of the […]

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October 20, 2005

Google changes privacy policy

Google is offering more detailed information about how it collects and uses personal data of internet users. Since 14 October Google has expanded its privacy policy outlining more details but little change in substance. Some key issues, such as how long personal data are kept, are not answered by the new privacy policy. The new […]

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March 20, 2024 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Freedom of expression online | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

European Court of Human Rights confirms: weakening of encryption can violate the human right to privacy

In a milestone judgment - Podchasov v. Russia - the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that weakening of encryption can lead to general and indiscriminate surveillance of the communications of all users and violates the human right to privacy.

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November 3, 2005

Big Brother Awards presented in 4 countries

The sixth edition of Swiss Big Brother Awards ceremony was held in Zurich’s Rote Fabrik on 29 October 2005. The Swiss jury received 100 nominations in four categories: government, business, workplace and the special life-time achievement award. The financial services branch of Swiss Post, Postfinance, was awarded the business award for the illegal transfer of […]

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November 5, 2008

Internet giants gather for freedom of speech – Global Network Initiative

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) Microsoft, Yahoo! and Google confirmed on 28 October 2008 having signed up for the Global Network Initiative (GNI), an organisation aimed at preserving free speech on the Internet. GNI members are bound to challenge governments against requests for disclosure of private data if they consider the requests […]

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November 5, 2008

ENDitorial: The FRA Law – Sleepwalking into a Surveillance Society

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) New disclosures from researchers and electronic surveillance experts in an effort to explain the real impacts and implications of the FRA law. The Swedish Parliament passed controversial legislation last June, the so called FRA law. It seems that the MPs didn’t realise what they were voting for […]

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March 14, 2012

EDPS on the new draft EU data protection policy

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Der Europäische Datenschutzbeauftragte zur geplanten EU-Datenschutzreform | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_10.5_Der_Europaeische_Datenschutzbeauftragte_zur_geplanten_EU-Datenschutzreform] On 7 March 2012, Peter Hustinx, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) issued his Opinion on the proposed reform package adopted by the Commission on 25 January that includes a Regulation with general rules on data protection and a Directive […]

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November 21, 2005

Panel meeting with EU delegation

On the closing day of the Summit, Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media and Catherine Trautmann, Member of the European Parliament co-hosted a Workshop on “Human Rights and the Information Society”. Trautmann (Social Democrats) also was the special rapporteur on the WSIS for the European Parliament. Her report was adopted in plenary […]

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December 3, 2008

Ireland proposes to legalise covert surveillance

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The Irish Government has approved the outline of a Bill which, if passed by Parliament, will permit police to break into private property to plant covert audio bugs and video cameras. The Covert Surveillance Bill is intended to legitimise what is already believed to be existing practice, […]

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March 27, 2013 · Blogs

ENDitorial: Germany sees a "septimana horribilis" in Net politics

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [ENDitorial: Eine Woche des Schreckens für die deutsche Netzpolitik | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.6_ENDitorial_Eine_Woche_des_Schreckens_fuer_die_deutsche_Netzpolitik?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130327] In Germany, political developments in the last week have been perceived as a frustrating defeat by the “Internet community”, as three legislative measures that had been heavily criticised (and ridiculed) have progressed in the Parliament. On 20 […]

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December 17, 2014 · Blogs

Irish surveillance legislation: secret interpretations of secret laws

A few weeks after introducing lawless internet blocking in Ireland, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald took her assault on the rule of law to another level. On 26 November 2014, she introduced into national law – by means of a “Statutory Instrument” (SI, an executive power that does not require any parliamentary discussion) – new […]

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