European Digital Rights’ Post

🦸🏾 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 race is on to make online spaces safer for kids BUT protecting their interests isn't a game. With children spending more time online, it's crucial to ensure their safety, privacy and freedom to access information. In an attempt to make systems that are not designed for minors safer, we see a political rush to pass regulations that resort to drastic measures to cut children’s internet access and undermine the autonomy of children and their parents in one fell swoop. ❌ Across these proposed regulations, age verification is presented as the ‘silver bullet’ to shield minors from dangers online. BUT such technology poses threats to privacy, data protection and the right to free expression and association to children and adults alike. Check out why #AgeVerification tech is not a silver bullet solution: https://lnkd.in/eqURQinr

We've seen it time and time again: #Spyware is a threat to EU #democracy, public debate & healthy civic spaces 🚨 ❌ The last EU mandate failed to provide effective solutions to deter #spyware abuse, despite repeated attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, & even EU lawmakers. 30 civil society & journalists' organisations, including EDRi, are urging incoming EU decisionmakers to take decisive action against the abuse of spyware. Now is the time to act, and #StopSpyware ✊🏾 Read our joint statement with recommendations for each of the institutions ➡ https://lnkd.in/d2Bw6b3V

🚨 The European Commission is planning to stop funding for #FreeSoftware projects. This will be a blow to our #DigitalRights & the health of the internet. The future of an open internet needs public funding ✊🏾 Read more from Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and find out how you can help ⤵ https://lnkd.in/gJ_H6Kav

🚨 The Court of Justice of the European Union's decision on the #Encrochat case was a missed opportunity to protect the fundamental rights to #privacy & #DataProtection. Read the legal analysis of the decision, co-authored by Hugo Partouche & European Digital Rights' Chloé Berthélémy , published by Steve Peers ➡ https://lnkd.in/gFTfyJWJ 🇫🇷 The French version of this article is available to read in the June 2024 edition of AJ PÉNAL.

🚨 Today, the #AIAct will officially become EU law. Did it deliver on centering people and #HumanRights like civil society advocated for during the legislative process? Not really. But there's still some silver linings 🌥️ Read our statement ➡ https://lnkd.in/gqMZWzme Moving forward, we urge EU lawmakers to focus on: ✅ meaningful implementation of the #AIAct 🕳️ measures to fill remaining gaps 🛑 national bans on unacceptably risky AI ❌ swiftly stopping non-compliant AI use ✊🏾 transparent and inclusive processes

Have you seen EU's latest plan for #MassSurveillance & infringing on your #privacy?👀 If the #GoingDark group has its way, we will end up with: ⬆️more #DataRetention ❌#encryption backdoors 🤝state-industry in cahoots Read an overview by Statewatch➡️ https://lnkd.in/dvx5pTgE

🚨 This week, media reported about yet another Member of the European Parliament being targeted by #spyware - just two weeks before the #EuropeanElections took place. This isn't the first time EU lawmakers have been subjected to spyware attacks. In February 2024, Brussels was rocked by a major spyware scandal. Read about the Brussels spyware scandal & our call for a ban, from February 2024: https://lnkd.in/dTgr8wWD Such intrusions pose a serious threat to our #democracy. These attacks make it clear: ❌ no one is immune to intrusive #surveillance ❌ we need an EU-wide ban on spyware 🔔 MEPs being targeted by #spyware is alarming, but the alarm bells have been ringing for a long time - only to be ignored by EU decision-makers 🔕 Now, not only is the EU failing to protect its lawmakers, they’ve thrown journalists, activists & human rights defenders under the bus too. The newly elected and appointed EU lawmakers have the opportunity to champion democracy through a spyware ban ✊🏾 They have a choice - ✅ confront & act against the menace of #spyware to ensure our safety and the integrity of our democracy ❌ become the next targets of this #surveillance tech Read our op-ed, which asks: will the Brussels spyware scandal finally convince the EU to act? https://lnkd.in/g6h4fpb3

Council of Europe approved the world's first AI treaty in May, but there aren't many reasons to celebrate 🙅♀️ The treaty sought to protect #HumanRights, #democracy, & the #RuleOfLaw, but has fallen short of its goals ❌ Read more from @edri member @enablingNGOlaw ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ditr-mh5

Every day in our work, European Digital Rights challenges private and state actors who abuse their power to control or manipulate the public. Today, as #technology has weaved itself into the fabric of our lives and our societies, our mission has never been more relevant We want to build positive digital futures that centre people, the planet, and #democracy - we've put forward a manifesto that establishes our vision 🌿 ✊🏾 We demand approaches to regulating technology that are interwoven with #RuleOfLaw, #justice, the pillar of #SocialRights, and #sustainability matters. Read more about EDRi's legacy and vision from our Executive Director Claire Fernandez in The Parliament ⤵ https://lnkd.in/g6bmg7vb