European Digital Rights

🦸🏾 How to become a #DigitalRights defender today: Do you share European Digital Rights's vision of a people-centred, democratic, digital future? Help us achieve it by considering a monthly donation: https://lnkd.in/gsJf29P ⚡️That's it! You're on your way to building a better digital future!

📥 The #EDRigram has dropped in your inboxes! Catch up on the latest #DigitalRights news: 📜 #EUTechSociety Summit highlights 📦 Unpacking #DigitalFairness 🇪🇺 paradoxical securitisation policies and more! Read the latest edition ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gMdun6Vs

On 1 October, 41 #civilsociety organisations – including European Digital Rights – co-hosted the #EUTechSociety Summit. It was the first ever #TechPolicy summit in #Brussels led entirely by non-profit organisations and not funded by #BigTech ✊🏾 🤝🏽 We were joined by 350+ MEPs, EU decisionmakers, civil society representatives & journalists to strategise, discuss and imagine an alternative EU tech agenda that centers people, the planet & democracy. We're grateful to all speakers & attendees for joining the #EUTechSociety Summit 💚 💙 This one-of-a-kind event was made possible thanks to all 41 co-host organisations, and the financial support from EDRi donors. Huge thanks also to Omar Havana for the great photos! 🥂 Read event highlights ➡ https://lnkd.in/gQJKsgam

Together with Jan Penfrat, I’ve co-authored an analysis for European Digital Rights on the European Commission's highly anticipated Digital Fairness Fitness Check report. This is a crucial moment for the future of the digital landscape and for the work EDRi has been championing for years on ePrivacy and tracking advertising. The report reminds us that deceptive and addictive interface designs, invasive tracking, and exploitative practices are not just technical details—they affect the fundamental rights of billions in their daily digital lives. EDRi will continue pushing for strong regulations that address commercial surveillance, protect against data exploitation, and ensure a fair and just digital environment. Here are our key principles for future legislation: 🔹 Exploitative tracking ads and walls should be phased out, and all user tracking strictly regulated.  🔹 Processing electronic communications data must serve only legitimate and proportionate purposes, with users fully informed and free to withdraw consent at any time.  🔹 Deceptive design practices should be banned, with design standards that respect rights and foster trust.  🔹 Manipulative features fostering addiction must be prohibited.  🔹 Personalisation needs to be transparent, user-controlled, and free from discrimination or exploitation.  🔹 Regulations must provide clear definitions to prevent loopholes and ensure legal certainty, without weakening fundamental rights. This new EU mandate could be our last opportunity to build a digital environment that truly protects fundamental rights—let’s not waste it. https://lnkd.in/djbP8iKi

Protection of young people online should be achieved through empowerment not exclusion ✊🏾 📩 This is the highlight of European Digital Rights and our members' submission in response to the European Commission's call for evidence for the #DigitalServicesAct #DSA guidelines for the protection of minors online. Read our full submission ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gJtyEuJg

🇫🇷 Today, European Digital Rights member La Quadrature du Net and 14 other civil society groups are taking a 'social scoring' #algorithm used by the family branch of the French welfare system to court. This algorithm, used to 'combat social fraud', is unfair and stigmatising 🙅♀️ ⚖ Read more about this legal action ➡ https://lnkd.in/ggzEyxQv What's so harmful about such a 'social scoring' system? ❌ these #AI-powered 'anti-fraud' policies lead to over-#surveillance & criminalisation of poor and marginalised people ❌ they violate people's #privacy rights - personal data of over 32 million people is analysed ❌ they're discriminatory - factors that increase a 'suspicion score' include having low income, being unemployed, receiving benefits as a disabled person, etc. France is not the only country in the EU using automated social control systems. 🇳🇱 After the Dutch childcare benefits scandal in 2021, Bits of Freedom & EDRi called for a ban of this type of social scoring algorithms in the EU #ArtificialIntelligence Act #AIAct. Read our blogpost from 2021: https://lnkd.in/eCx35eS We will continue to monitor and take action to stop discriminatory algorithms ✊🏾

There is still some time left to apply for 2 open positions at EDRi: 🖌️Graphic Design Officer https://lnkd.in/d-VaYr8q 🖋️Communications & Media Officer https://lnkd.in/dAt2W2Gb 🙌 Send your application by Sunday 13 October and join the Communication and Campaigns team!

EDRi is looking for 2 passionate folks to join our Communications and Campaigns team! 🖌️Graphic Design Officer https://lnkd.in/d-VaYr8q 🖊️Communications and Media Officer https://lnkd.in/dAt2W2Gb 🔴 Interested? Attend the 2 info sessions on 7 October, and apply by 13 October.

EDRi is looking for 2 passionate folks to join our Communications and Campaigns team! 🖌️Graphic Design Officer https://lnkd.in/d-VaYr8q 🖋️Communication and Media officer https://lnkd.in/dAt2W2Gb 🔴 Interested? Attend the 2 info sessions on 7 October, and apply by 13 October.

📢Today, EDRi and 63 organisations and experts urge the European Commission to halt proposals for using age verification tools when implementing #DigitalServicesAct and #eIDAS. Evidence and lived experiences show these tools are dangerous, discriminatory and unsafe: ❌ Exclusive: Document-based verification excludes those without IDs, worsening the digital divide ❌ Invasive: Their ‘accuracy’ relies on processing vast amounts of personal data, threatening our right to online anonymity ❌ Pose privacy risks: Age estimation methods often use sensitive data like biometrics, which are prone to errors & bias. ❌ Discriminatory: Biometric-based approaches can be biased, based on gender, race, or disability. #AgeVerification tools aren't a silver bullet for addressing children's needs online. ➡ Read more in the open letter: https://lnkd.in/eyKdgYyM