European court supports transparency in risky EU border tech experiments
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that the European Commission must reveal initially-withheld documents relating to the controversial iBorderCtrl project, which experimented with risky biometric ‘lie detection’ systems at EU borders. However, the judgement continued to safeguard some of the commercial interests of iBorderCtrl, despite it being an EU-funded migration technology with implications for the protection of people’s rights.
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European court supports transparency in risky EU border tech experiments
The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that the European Commission must reveal initially-withheld documents relating to the controversial iBorderCtrl project, which experimented with risky biometric ‘lie detection’ systems at EU borders. However, the judgement continued to safeguard some of the commercial interests of iBorderCtrl, despite it being an EU-funded migration technology with implications for the protection of people’s rights.
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Reclaim Your Face impact in 2021
A sturdy coalition, research reports, investigations, coordination actions and gathering amazing political support at national and EU level. This was 2021 for the Reclaim Your Face coalition – a year that, despite happening in a pandemic – showed what the power of a united front looks like.
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UN Special Rapporteurs challenge EU’s counter-terrorism plans
Through their communication, the Special Rapporteurs demonstrate how several existing and foreseen EU security measures fail to meet the principles of legality, necessity and proportionality, enshrined in European and international laws (such as the Regulation on preventing the dissemination of Terrorism Content Online and the processing by Europol of sensitive data for profiling purposes). The fatal flaw lies in the use of broad and undefined terms to justify extensive interferences in human rights.
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The ICO provisionally issues £17 million fine against facial recognition company Clearview AI
Following EDRi member Privacy International's (PI) submissions before the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), as well as other European regulators, the ICO has announced its provisional intent to fine Clearview AI.
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Civil society calls on the EU to put fundamental rights first in the AI Act
Today, 30 November 2021, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and 119 civil society organisations launched a collective statement to call for an Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) which foregrounds fundamental rights.
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New RESOURCE PAGE helps supporters BAN biometric mass surveillance
The Reclaim Your Face collective has put together a brand new Resource Page, helping all activists spread the word and take action easily, online, offline – at all times, wherever they are.
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Amnesty International calls to ban discriminatory algorithms in its report Xenophobic Machines
On 25 October 2021, EDRi observer Amnesty International published a report on the use of algorithmic decision-making (ADM) system by the Dutch tax authorities to detect fraud. The report shows how discrimination and racial profiling were baked into the design of the ADM system.
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No biometric surveillance for Italian students during exams
In September 2021 the Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA) fined Luigi Bocconi University €200 000 for using Respondus, a proctoring software, without sufficiently informing students of the processing of their personal data and, among other violations, for processing their biometric data without a legal basis. Bocconi is a private University based in Milan and during the COVID-19 pandemic introduced Respondus tools to monitor students during remote exams.
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EDRi urges Portugal government to oppose proposed video surveillance law
EDRi member and Reclaim Your Face lead organisation D3 (Defesa Dos Direitos Digitais) are raising awareness of how the Portuguese government’s new proposed video surveillance and facial recognition law – which Ministers are trying to rush through the Parliament - amounts to illiberal biometric mass surveillance. It also endangers the very foundations of democracy on which the Republic of Portugal rests.
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Artificial intelligence – a tool of austerity
This week Human Rights Watch published a much-needed comment on the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Regulation. As governments increasingly resort to AI systems to administer social security and public services more broadly, there is an ever-greater need to analyse the impact on fundamental rights and the broader public interest.
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The EU Parliament Took a Stance Against AI Mass Surveillance: What are the Global Implications?
The European Parliament's resolution on artificial intelligence in criminal law and its use by the police presents an opportunity for the EU to reconsider its role in the development of such tools, their sale, or use as part of its counter-terrorism and anti-immigration policies abroad.
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Celebrating a strong European Parliament stance on AI in law enforcement
On 5 October, following a significant push from across civil society, the European Parliament voted to adopt an important new report on Artificial intelligence in criminal law and its use by the police and judicial authorities in criminal matters by a promising majority of 377 votes in favour, to 248 against. This followed a tense vote earlier as a majority of MEPs opposed all four attempts from the European People's Party (EPP) to remove key fundamental rights provisions from the report.
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