February 27, 2008

Germany: New basic right to privacy of computer systems

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The German Constitutional Court published on 27 February 2008 a landmark ruling about the constitutionality of secret online searches of computers by government agencies. The decision constitutes a new “basic right to the confidentiality and integrity of information-technological systems” as derived from the German Constitution. The journalist […]

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June 20, 2012

Google’s Street View privacy breach again in the public eye

Recently, the UK Data Protection Authority – Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has decided to reopen its investigation on Google over the collection of personal information by Google Street View project from May 2010. As a reaction to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s report issued earlier this year into the Street View data collection, ICO […]

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June 19, 2013 · Blogs

The Spanish Police might use spying Trojans on individuals’ computers

This article is also available in: Deutsch: [Spanien: Staatlicher Trojaner könnte künftig Privat-Computer ausspionieren | https://www.unwatched.org/EDRigram_11.12_Spanien_Staatlicher_Trojaner_koennte_kuenftig_Privat-Computer_ausspionieren?pk_campaign=edri&pk_kwd=20130619] A draft Criminal Procedure Code issued by the Spanish Ministry of Justice, authorises the police to install trojans on computers from surveyed individuals. According to Article 350 of the proposed draft, prosecutors may ask the judge for “the installation […]

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February 27, 2008

EC Draft Recommendation on RFID Privacy and Security published

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar) The European Commission published the Draft Recommendation on RFID Privacy and Security on the Your Voice in Europe-Platform for public consultation. After a public consultation on RFID Privacy Issues in 2006, some conferences and workshops and various discussions on the topic within the RFID Expert Group, this […]

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October 23, 2019 · Blogs | Information democracy | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Cross border access to data | Disinformation and electoral interference | Surveillance and data retention | Transparency

EU Commissioners candidates spoke: State of play for digital rights

On 1 November 2019, the new College of European Commissioners – comprising 27 representatives (one from each EU Member State), rather than the usual 28, thanks to Brexit – are scheduled to take their seats for the next five years, led by incoming President-elect, Ursula von der Leyen.

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March 1, 2006

Extremely high Romanian wiretapping costs

According to declarations of Romanian public officials, during the last month, the total costs of the specialized police services for legal wiretapping in 2005 was at least 118 million euros, an amount very close to the annual national budget for scientific research. As Catalin Harnagea, former director of a Romanian Secret Service unit, declared the […]

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July 16, 2003

Swiss data protection chief criticizes USA

The head of Switzerland’s data protection commission says the United States’ war on terror is undermining personal privacy. Hanspeter Thür calls for tighter controls on the campaign against terrorism and for more money to safeguard individual rights. According to him, the Bush administration is pursuing a repressive policy with little regard for data protection. The […]

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April 20, 2016 · Blogs

Huge protest against corruption & surveillance in Macedonia

The political crisis in Macedonia deepened on 12 April when the President Gjorgi Ivanov announced that he would issue a blanket pardon to 56 politicians suspected of involvement in serious crimes. Over the last eight days, tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets of the capital city Skopje and about a dozen other […]

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April 7, 2021 · Blogs | Campaigns | Information democracy | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Evidence shows a European future that is dystopian: #ReclaimYourFace now to protect your city

The latest evidence shows that biometric mass surveillance is rapidly being developed and deployed in Europe without a proper legal basis or respect for our agency as self-determined and autonomous individuals. No one is safe, as our most sensitive data like our faces, eyes, skin, palm veins, and fingerprints are being tracked, traced and analysed on social media, in the park, on the bus, or at work.

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March 23, 2022 · Blogs | On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Artificial intelligence (AI) | Biometrics | Surveillance and data retention

Italian DPA fines Clearview AI for illegally monitoring and processing biometric data of Italian citizens

On 9 March 2022, the Italian Data Protection Authority fined the US-based facial recognition company Clearview AI EUR 20 million after finding that the company monitored and processed biometric data of individuals on Italian territory without a legal basis. The fine is the highest expected according to the General Data Protection Regulation, and it was motivated by a complaint sent by the Hermes Centre in May 2021 in a joint action with EDRi members Privacy International, noyb, and Homo Digitalis—in addition to complaints sent by some individuals and to a series of investigations launched in the wake of the 2020 revelations of Clearview AI business practices.

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July 6, 2022 · Blogs | On the ground | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Surveillance and data retention

Challenging the use of GPS tags to monitor asylum seekers in the UK

The latest rollout of GPS tags to monitor migrants is another step in creating a 'hostile environment' for asylum seekers in the UK. 

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February 1, 2023 · Blogs | Privacy and data protection | Privacy and confidentiality | Profiling practices | Surveillance and data retention

The UK will treat online images of immigrants crossing the Channel as a criminal offence

On 17 January, the United Kingdom (UK) government announced that online platforms will have to proactively remove images of immigrants crossing the Channel in small boats under a new amendment to be tabled to the Online Safety Bill. The announcement, intended to bolster the UK’s hostile immigration policy, has been met with concern among the British public and charities working with people on the move.

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