ombudsman
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EU to provide training on “covert techniques” to abusive police forces
The European Police College is to train a host of states with miserable human rights records on the use of “covert techniques in forensics and mobile telecommunications” and will provide “training activities related to cyber-attacks in order to build capacities for law enforcement, judicial authorities and other relevant bodies.”
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EU watchdog finds European Commission failed to protect human rights from its surveillance aid to African countries
The European Ombudsman has found that the European Commission failed to take necessary measures to ensure the protection of human rights in the transfers of technology with potential surveillance capacity supported by its multi-billion Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.
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Activists v. Poland. European Court of Human Rights hearing on uncontrolled surveillance
On 27 September, the hearing was held at the European Court of Human Rights, following the application against Poland lodged by activists from Poland’s Panoptykon Foundation and Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, joined by a human rights attorney.
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European Ombudsman shares EDRi’s concerns on Council transparency
On 13 February 2018, the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly published a Recommendation regarding the transparency of the legislative work of the Council of the European Union. Her strategic inquiry, which involved the examination of the Council’s work around the legislative course of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), among other files, showed that the Council’s […]
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2018: Important consultations for your Digital Rights!
Public consultations are an opportunity to influence the future legislation at an early stage, in the European Union and beyond. They are your opportunity to help to shape a brighter future for digital rights, such as your right to an open internet, a private life, and data protection, or your freedom of opinion and expression.
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EU decision-making is not EU administration, says EU administration
In 2016, the EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly made some recommendations to improve the transparency of the “trilogue” process. Trilogues are informal negotiations conducted between a small number of representatives of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament and the Commission, and they are increasingly used to circumvent the traditional, treaty-based decision-making process of […]
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Social media as censors of public sphere: YouTube vs. Ombudsman
In early September 2016, a popular Norwegian writer got suspended from Facebook, on account of “child nudity”. The matter escalated into an international incident, involving Norway’s largest printed newspaper and the country’s prime minister. Finally the writer’s Facebook status was restored, the suspension was ended, and Facebook promised to do better.
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EU Ombudsman demands trilogue reform, following our advice
On 12 July 2016, the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly adopted a decision that asks for a reform of trilogues. In her decision, she follows many of our recommendations. The Ombudsman is the body dealing with maladministration in the European Union (EU).
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EU Commission under investigation for EU Internet Forum documents
In the past year, EDRi made numerous formal requests to get more information about the EU Internet Forum. This Forum was set up by the EU Commission to persuade companies to do “more” to fight terrorism. After months of obstruction from the European Commission, EDRi made a maladministration complaint to the European Ombudsman. As a […]
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Case Closed: Ombudsman decides GCHQ letters are of public interest
Almost two years after having been opened, case 2004/2013/PMC was closed by Emily O’Reilly, the EU Ombudsman, on the 5 November 2015. The case concerned the complain of a German journalist about the European Commission’s refusal to allow access to documents on internet surveillance by the British secret services – mainly the Government Communications Headquarters […]
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Better Regulation Interinstitutional Agreement – we have concerns!
On 19 May 2015, European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans presented the Better Regulation package, wherein the Commission committed to “deliver better rules for better results” and to design EU policies and laws that achieve their objectives at minimum cost. One of the central points of this package is the “Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Regulation”. […]
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European Ombudsman does not see sufficient transparency in TTIP
On 6 January 2015, the European Ombudsman, the EU authority dealing with maladministration in the institutions of the European Union, adopted ten recommendations for the Commission to become transparent in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations. In her decision, the Ombudsman followed recommendations made by EDRi in our response to the public consultation […]
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