Data protection and digital regulation developments, collected automatically from 17+ sources.
Get this as an email digestThe California legislature passed Assembly Bill 1709 (A.B. 1709) today, which functions as a sweeping ban on social media use for young people under the age of 16. This…
The CNIL is organizing the 2nd edition of its Informatique & Libertés Meetings on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. This morning session is an opportunity to exchange views on various…
Drafting is advancing on a speech that will set the course for the next phase of Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission.
EFF, Access Now, and Data Privacy Brasil are putting forward recommendations to strengthen robust privacy and data protection safeguards in the context of Brazil's elections. The…
Vulnerabilities have recently been discovered in the WordPress software. WordPress is used quite extensively in the Netherlands. These vulnerabilities in WordPress are currently…
In 2026, the CNIL educated 2,500 fifth-grade students in the Oise department about digital issues and the protection of personal data. Are you a teacher? On this page, you’ll find…
Starting September 1, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) is required to publish fines and other GDPR sanctions. This is due to a change in the law. Making GDPR sanctions…
Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) build a searchable map of everywhere a driver goes, fed into databases that police, ICE, and private vendors can query after the fact.…
Since 2001, Apple has been warning its users when they may have been targeted by spyware, using email, iMessage, and banners in their accounts. But in September of this year,
Earlier this month, France’s top court struck down the country’s legislation that banned social media use for people under 15 years old, which had been scheduled to take effect in…
Under this settlement, young users will now have less access to Meta products, and a lesser ability to exercise their rights to speak, access information and art and culture,…
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted unlawful investigations into dozens of individuals who have documented ICE activities in their communities, social media…
The CNIL has released a new version of its demo tool that allows users to explore the lineage of open-source AI models. This update notably improves the tool’s performance and…
The DPA fined Uber €824.99 million for automatically deactivating drivers’ accounts without human intervention, in violation of Article 22 GDPR, and for insufficient transparency.…
Credit Scoring In mid-July, investigations by NDR and the SZ revealed that the credit information agency SCHUFA stores millions of data records that should have been deleted long…
Consistent indication of dates Use a comma if the number is 1,000 or bigger, don't use a comma if it's smaller.Use a comma if the number is 1,000 or bigger, don't…
In cooperation with the CNIL, the Dutch data protection authority imposed on the companies UBER B.V. and UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC. a fine of 824,990,000 euros for making automated…
Elementary and secondary schools wishing to use online collaboration tools must exercise caution regarding the protection of personal data. The CNIL outlines the rules to follow…
Higher education institutions wishing to use online collaboration tools must exercise caution regarding the protection of personal data. The CNIL reiterates the rules that apply…
This week, EFF, along with Big Brother Watch, Defend Digital Me, Liberty, Open Rights Group, Race Equality First, Statewatch, and Stopwatch, wrote to Nottinghamshire Police Force…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has imposed a fine of 824,990,000 euros on Uber. The reason for this is the Authority's ruling that Uber made…
Streaming platform Twitch has announced that Amazon uses personal data from Twitch users to train AI models. Users who do not want Amazon to use their streams, images, and other…
Brazil's new internet intermediary liability regime is underway. The implementation of changes established by the Supreme Court includes notice and takedown mechanisms and duty of…
The EU’s Action Plan on Cybersecurity and AI lays the groundwork for new, AI-powered approaches to IT security but organizations need to ensure their security foundations are fit…
Your location isn't just a pin on a map—it can expose some of the most intimate details about your life. The value of this information to advertisers and others has turned the…
In a handful of known cases, large social media companies have privately pushed back against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) subpoenas when the agency tried to unmask…
Did you apply for a loan and get turned down? Are you listed in a registry maintained by the Banque de France or in a registry kept by your bank? What steps do you need to take?
Age verification (laws and regulations requiring platforms and websites to assure or estimate that a user seeking to use an online service is of a certain age) is everywhere. At…
A federal appeals court just made it harder for online services, big and small, to get lawsuits over user speech dismissed early. In California v. Meta, a Ninth Circuit…
The CNIL has been notified of data breaches affecting the information system of the Directorate General of Public Finance (DGFiP). It is therefore already investigating these…
Are you a government organization or a private organization providing public services? And do you plan to use a high-risk AI system? Or will you, as a public or private…
Are you curious about what happens behind the doors of the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP)? You are cordially invited to the Bentinckhuis at Lange Voorhout 7 in The Hague on…
Access Now's Digital Security Helpline and Vita Activa offer holistic digital safety and mental health support for activists.
Flock Safety, the embattled vendor of mass surveillance technology, has rolled out a handful of new reforms intended to appease the justified nationwide anger that has seen scores…
We’ve had a few questions from EFF supporters lately, asking whether the images we use on our blog posts, or on donation and shop items, have been created with AI image…
Internet shutdowns have to stop. As Access Now marks the 10th anniversary of the #KeepItOn campaign in 2026, we’re reflecting on the path travelled so far — and the journey still…
Imagine if McDonald’s could use trademark law to control how you use the term “fast food.” Or if the Canadian government could stop you from using the word “Canada” in the title…
Access to accurate information about reproductive and maternal health can be critical. But on Meta's platforms, simply talking about prescription medication, abortion care, or…
In a 6,500 word essay, Zuckerberg detailed his vision for AI.
The GDPR allows organizations to assign other responsibilities to their Data Protection Officer (DPO). However, these responsibilities must not interfere with the DPO’s core…
The Senate Commerce Committee will vote this week on several censorious and privacy invasive bills: KOSA, the SCREEN Act, Youth AI Privacy Act, and CHATBOT Act. While we…
These AI models aim to trick people into unwittingly participating in a cyberattack. This is fueling the debate about the dangers of AI development.
Effective August 2, 2026, five new members will join the CNIL. These appointments are part of a partial renewal of the Board.
We, the undersigned organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns — appeal…
Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition — a global network of over 370 organizations from 106 countries working to end internet shutdowns, through an open letter, are urging…
Any affected individual has the right to request that a media organization delete personal data about them that appears in an online news article. However, this is not an absolute…
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on a derogation of the EU’s ePrivacy Directive for the third time in 4 months. While the proposal passed, the vote nonetheless…
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has endorsed a commonsense technical interpretation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), a law not usually given to such interpretation.…
In the scorching heat of every Las Vegas summer, EFF joins thousands of hackers, makers, policy analysts, and activists for the world's largest computer security gathering. If…
Developers Must Beware of Ad Libraries that Betray Users’ PrivacySAN FRANCISCO – Some software development kits (SDKs) provided by advertising companies to help developers…
If you track your menstrual cycle in an app, you are sharing highly sensitive information. Often, it remains unclear what such an app does with this information or with whom these…
Update: The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance this bill on August 5, 2026. EFF continues to oppose the bill, which still needs approval from the full Senate. The Senate…
Update: The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance this bill on August 5, 2026. EFF continues to oppose the bill, which still needs approval from the full Senate. The Senate…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in July issued a proposed policy statement “concerning the suppression of accuracy in artificial intelligence systems.” We urge the FTC to…
EFF joined a group of 18 civil society organizations to send a letter encouraging New York Governor Kathy Hochul to veto Senate Bill 9934A, the New York Stealth Crawler…
The administration is preparing to brief leading AI companies on its blueprint for reviewing advanced AI models.
It's time. Time for tinkerers, security researchers, hackers, and fellow nerds to gather together in signature black hoodies and utilikilts to beat the heat in Las Vegas for the…
California lawmakers have amended A.B. 1709, but the core problem remains: the bill is still a ban on social media access for youth under 16, and it still threatens the privacy…
Update: The Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance this bill on August 5, 2026. EFF continues to oppose the bill, which still needs approval from the full Senate. Artificial…
Update: On August 5, 2026, The Senate Commerce Committee voted 15-13 to advance this bill, but the bill did not advance because of a lack of Senators in attendance. EFF continues…
This post is available as a printable one page handout in English and Spanish. Recordings of law enforcement, whether by bystanders or by those directly encountering officers, can…
The chat with the webshop's customer service, that video on social media, the photo on a news site: as of August 2, 2026, it must be stated in many cases that artificial…
The EU's executive is seeking contract agents for two units within the two-year-old AI Office just as its power is expanding.
The CNIL invites you to explore a topic or current event related to data protection through a series of webinars. Check out this new episode focused on reference methodologies in…
Cookie Banners Today, noyb has filed a complaint against the popular online dictionary dict.cc. The GDPR requires that consent is freely given, informed, specific and unambiguous.…
Germany, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Spain are backing plans to build the largest hubs.
Brussels, 30 July – The EDPB and the European Commission organise a remote stakeholder event in the context of their joint work on upcoming guidelines on the interplay between…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) provides guidance to childcare organizations regarding the sharing of information in cases of suspected criminal…
Watches, bands, and rings—if you want to digitally monitor your fitness, more companies than ever are selling devices to do it. And more Americans than ever now own at least one…
A new analysis reveals that the artificial intelligence company’s most powerful models spent days probing the open internet before breaching AI developer platform Hugging Face.
The concept of “surveillance pricing” is just one part of a much larger problem and business model: corporations maximizing their profits by invading our privacy. The…
Update 8/10/2026: Two San Francisco bars that used Patronscan have said they will stop using the system after listening to customers’ privacy concerns. EFF applauds this change…
Dario Amodei continued to stand aloof from other U.S. tech leaders’ unified praise for inexpensive “open weight” models.
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A ransomware attack often does more than just shut down computer systems. The personal data of hundreds, and sometimes millions, of people can also be compromised. Organizations…
The first-ever case of an artificial intelligence agent going rogue coincides with the EU's major new powers to regulate AI. But Europe's leverage may be limited by the U.S.-China…
EFF’s first EFFecting Change livestream was all the way back in July of 2024. Maybe you've caught each stream, or maybe you’ve only caught a few. Or maybe you’re like me and…
For years, John Deere had actively made repairing their tractors near-impossible for anyone but itself and the few "authorized" repair shops—regardless of the ability of its…
Brussels, 23 July – The EDPB and the European Commission organise a remote stakeholder event in the context of their joint work on upcoming guidelines on the interplay between…
Police departments across the country are lining up to launch drone-as-first-responder (DFR) programs, and hundreds have cleared a necessary hurdle toward making deployment a…
Google could be hit with the largest fine yet under the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Zoya Sheftalovich and Kathryn Carlson explain why Brussels believes the tech giant is unfairly…
The first fully autonomous breach by OpenAI’s most powerful AI models has prompted a bipartisan push for stronger oversight over increasingly powerful artificial intelligence…
Intermediary liability laws around the world recognize that social media platforms, search engines, and other online service providers have become an integral part of our lives:…
Legal intern Suzanne Castillo was the principal author of this post. The Fourth Circuit issued a disappointing opinion in U.S. v. Belmonte Cardozo, a case in which EFF filed an…
The initiative marks a wider push to steer federal science funding toward AI-powered research and individual investigators.
The CNIL addresses the main questions professionals have about implementing its recommendation on tracking pixels.
The CNIL invites you to explore a topic or current event related to data protection through a series of webinars. Check out this new episode on tracking pixels.
A new report from the Government Accounting Office reveals that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple the number of surveillance towers along U.S.…
There’s a new boogeyman in the battles over AI: so-called “stealth crawlers.” We’ll admit it—the term “stealth crawlers” sounds quite nefarious. In reality, they’re anything but.…
Are you a California resident? Then we've got exciting news for you: there's a tool just for you that lets you take a single, relatively easy step to protect your privacy. It's…
At a high-level meeting held in Dublin on July 16 and 17, 2026, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) called for a clear legal basis for the sharing of information among…
The European Commission is currently finalising negotiations with the Trump administration to conclude an “Enhanced Border Security Partnership” (EBSP) Framework Agreement…
Innovations in the era of generative AI continue with the democratization of agent-based AI, which is now capable of acting on its environment on behalf of its user. The…
The institution is opening its doors to models from OpenAI, Meta, Anthropic and Mistral as it tries to bring lawmakers’ growing use of the technology under control.
In the battle over AI regulation — from Washington, D.C. to Silicon Valley — one term has become unexpectedly controversial: “AI safety.” After all, who doesn’t believe in making…
Dublin, 17 July– At a high-level meeting in Dublin on 16 and 17 July 2026, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) called for a clear legal basis for the sharing of information…
This month, we celebrate 36 years of EFF and a mission that is bigger than any one of us. Thanks to EFF, communities around the world are demanding that technology protects their…
Reversing course, Flock Safety—the surveillance technology vendor most known for its extensive network of automated license plate readers—has announced that it will end a pilot…
When Ubisoft's Watch Dogs 2 was released in 2016, it was a headtrip for those of us working on digital-rights issues in the Bay Area. During the day, I'd fight…
Third reform in six years allocates €3 billion to controversial EU policing agency with the capacities to place everyone under surveillance.
The National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties met on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. with the following agenda:
MENA's social media regulations give the appearance of legitimacy but threaten to increase state censorship and control.
EFF and ARTICLE 19 have submitted joint comments to the European Commission on draft guidelines for the Digital Services Act’s trusted flagger mechanism. Having long advocated for…
In November 2025, the European Commission presented the Digital Omnibus as a simplification package for EU digital rules. Since then, the AI Omnibus has been adopted, weakening…
The French Administrative Supreme Court ruled in favour of La Quadrature du Net, French Data Network (FDN), Franciliens.net and Fédération FDN by recognising that the Hadopi law’s…
EDRi responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the Digital Fitness Check, emphasising the importance of the rights-based digital framework developed over the years.…
What has the EDRi network been up to over the past few weeks? Find out the latest digital rights news in our bi-weekly newsletter. In this edition: Turning up the heat –…
Privacy Camp hosts its 14th edition on 13 October 2026, in Brussels and online. For people living in Europe and across the globe, the impact technology has on our lives becomes…
Oura Rings, Garmin GPS fitness watches, Apple Watches, Whoop bands—every year, more and more tech devices are promising to monitor our health and fitness, guide us toward…
The effort to age gate the internet is back in Washington—and now it has a new name. Recently passed by the House of Representatives, the KIDS Act is a sprawling package of…
The California legislature has stepped back from a plan that would have expanded its age-gating law, removing language that could have compounded serious threats to users’ speech,…
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has published 3 guidelines. These concern guidelines for the scraping (automatic collection) of data for training generative artificial…
By pushing for ever-tougher AI safety laws, Anthropic is drawing a distinction between its state lobbying strategy and OpenAI’s campaign to streamline a set of rules across the…
Session description: This civil society-led counter-event to the AI for Good Global Summit takes a critical look at the overhyped role of AI in solving humanity’s long-standing…
The U.S.-based company assigned a recently hired technical employee to testify remotely before the European Parliament, which left a series of key policy questions unanswered.
This year the state of New York had the dubious honor of being the first to pass a controversial provision to mandate all 3D printers come with surveillance and censorship. That…