Data protection and digital regulation developments, collected automatically from 17+ sources.
Get this as an email digestThe 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…
MENA's social media regulations give the appearance of legitimacy but threaten to increase state censorship and control.
The National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties met on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. with the following agenda:
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…
Third reform in six years allocates €3 billion to controversial EU policing agency with the capacities to place everyone under surveillance.
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…
Brussels, 14 July–The EDPB has published its binding decision of 28 May 2026 under Art.65(1)(a) GDPR*. The decision concerns a dispute submitted by the Belgian Data Protection…
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…
One of the best bulwarks against monopoly is interoperability—that is making a new product or service work with an existing product or service. Interoperability allows users, and…
Oxfam Ireland is hosting the Digital Rights and Equality Symposium on 21 October 2026 at O’Reilly Hall, University College Dublin. This all-day event will bring together…
Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, EDRi and other 36 civil society organisations and academics have urged the European Commission to immediately reassess…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) today publishes two new documents to assist organizations in the responsible development and deployment of…
Legal intern Suzanne Castillo co-authored of this post. Playstation’s decision to kill physical game discs is the latest attack on our diminishing rights to access and engage with…
Moscow's Federal Security Service is behind the cyber espionage and sabotage campaigns, EU says.
BRUSSELS — The European Union will set a minimum age at which young internet users can access social media without parental supervision, the Commission President announced on…
This post is part 2 in a series about automated content moderation. Read the first post here. When whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked a set of documents from Meta in 2020, among…
In my first weeks as Executive Director of EFF, I’ve been reminded every day how consequential this moment is in determining what kind of future we will have. We are on the edge.…
Companies can more frequently act collectively when entering into contracts with IT providers. This is essential to strengthen their digital autonomy. Furthermore, governments and…
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 dedicated to the CNIL’s new health and…
As of August 2, 2026, providers and users of AI systems are required to make it clear when people are interacting with artificial intelligence (AI). On June 10, the European…
Last week, the House voted on the KIDS Act, a disjointed package of legislation that seeks to control Americans’ web browsing and private messaging. The package combines a revised…
Last May, EFF reported that a sheriff’s office in Texas searched data from more than 83,000 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras to track down a woman suspected of…
Users are always seeking more control over their social networking experience to make it better, whether to improve privacy or enhance flexibility. Interoperability between social…
Business in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) moves with dizzying speed. More powerful models launch regularly, bringing new opportunities and risks. Fresh use cases emerge…
Google owes its existence to the open web, but today, its technological “innovations” have much to do with locking users into a “walled garden.” The latest of these is “reCAPTCHA…
On July 7, 2026, the EDPS adopted guidelines on anonymization and guidelines on data harvesting in the context of generative AI. It also adopted the final version of its…
An employer has the authority to supervise and monitor employees’ work activities and their use of equipment at work. This is a normal and inherent part of the employment…
Brussels, 8 July– During its latest plenary, the EDPB has adopted guidelines on anonymisation and guidelines on web scraping in the context of generative AI. In addition, the…
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) increases the dangers of cyberattacks. There are rising risks of phishing and data breaches. This is the warning issued by the…
The ruling by the General Court strengthens the European Commission’s enforcement of the Digital Markets Act.
Does your organization currently deal with, or will it in the future, deal with the AI Act? And do you have questions, for example, regarding how to comply with this regulation in…
Session description: The rise of the anti-rights movement is accelerating the criminalization of LGBTQ+ people and identity in Africa. In Senegal, the government’s amendment of…
In the global race to build and dominate the AI industry, it can sure seem like the interests of ordinary people sit last on the agenda. It's just the opposite for EFF. While…
This blog post is part 1 of a 2-part series. The second part sets out recommendations for companies and policymakers.Six years ago—one month into a global pandemic—we argued that…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has published an advisory notice regarding the processing of personal data in response to signals and reports of…
BRUSSELS — The EU’s biggest lenders should set out how they will tackle risks from cutting-edge artificial intelligence models by the end of October, the bloc’s top banking…
Weather, sports, and dating apps often use your location. But do you know who can access this data and why? The CNIL helps you understand the issues and stay in control of your…
Geolocation has become a key feature of mobile apps. However, the collection and reuse of geolocation data raise significant concerns regarding the protection of personal data.…
Excessive video surveillance, cookies, violations of individuals’ rights, and failure to cooperate with the CNIL: Since January 2026, 23 new penalties have been imposed under the…
A joint statement with civil society organisations and individual signatories is calling on the EU institutions to regulate spyware technologies after the 2026 Citizen Lab…
Access Now joins more than 20 human rights organizations and individuals in condemning Pegasus spyware attack against Stelios Kouloglou, Greek journalist and then-Member of the…
The new photo and fingerprint requirements are designed to stop criminals and visa overstayers — but they have left thousands stuck in line.
The integration of AI into professional practices and the implementation of the AI Regulation are creating new challenges for DPOs and their organizations. To better understand…
This Pride, we’re answering all your digital rights questions in season two of our initiative, LGBT Q&A. You Asked: Is there a way for me to wipe data about me online that could…
The National Commission for Information Technology and Civil Liberties met on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. with the following agenda:
X Corp. should not be able to escape privacy compliance because it changed its name. On May 15, X Corp. filed a petition before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to set aside or…
Gambling operators must reconcile the requirements of the GDPR with their industry-specific obligations. To assist industry stakeholders in this process, the ANJ, in consultation…
Brussels/Frankfurt, 1 July – The EDPB and the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) are working together to bring greater clarity to a question of growing importance for industry…
The European Union has pledged billions to establish itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI). However, there is a significant transparency gap between the…
Following the March 2026 elections, Slovenia's newly appointed right-wing coalition government – led by Janez Janša in his fourth term – has launched an aggressive crackdown on…
Europe is developing a Digital Euro to reduce its reliance on US-controlled payment systems and give citizens a privacy-friendly digital payment option. Epicenter.works and other…
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: The heat is on
This Pride, we’re answering all your digital rights questions in season two of our initiative, LGBT Q&A. You Asked: I live in the UK, and we have age verification now on a bunch…
The Bitkom Privacy Conference brings together leading privacy experts from supervisory authorities, companies, academia, and start-ups to discuss current regulatory developments…
The first re:publica Vienna brings Europe's leading festival for digital society, politics, technology, and culture to Austria.
On 9 and 10 October 2026, re:publica x New Fall Festival will transform the NRW-Forum and the Ehrenhof in Düsseldorf into a place for exchange about the digital society, politics,…
Marking its 10th anniversary edition, the Brussels Privacy Symposium celebrates a decade of examining, unpacking, and driving substantive data protection scholarship and thought…
Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the Chaos Computer Club hosts its annual Chaos Communication Congress, a Europe-wide renowned gathering attracting more than 17,000…
The 21st annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, marking the first gathering of the global multistakeholder community since the UN General…
Following a public consultation, the CNIL has published its recommendations on the use by businesses of location data from connected vehicles (cars, bicycles, scooters, etc.). The…
Connected vehicles collect location data to provide certain entertainment- or safety-related services. This information can reveal very personal details about your private life.…
Data Transfers On Monday, the US Supreme Court decided in Trump v. Slaughter that the US Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) may not be independent anymore. Since 2000, the EU has…
You have an expectation of privacy in location data that reveals your movements in the physical world, and even short-term surveillance of these movements is a search subject to…
The Illinois legislature recently passed House Bill 5511, which imposes a sweeping, device-level age-gating framework across nearly all internet-enabled hardware, operating…
In 2025, the EU entered an era of deregulation in which hard-fought digital rights protections are being diluted. With our long-term vision for digital futures in mind, EDRi's…
Ignoring EFF’s warnings about the dangers and impossibility of implementing a new mandate for 3D print surveillance software, the California State Assembly has signed off on…
This is not science fiction. It’s not premature. If towns, cities, states, or the federal government want to act to rein in the emergence of armed police drones and robots, we…
Poke your head into just about any online social network—or any general conversations about internet culture—and you’ll likely find a boogieman: the algorithm. Since at least the…
This Pride month, we’re calling on the dating app Grindr to prioritize LGBTQ+ user safety by making privacy the default across its platform. That means no more sharing personal…
Data protection authorities from the G7 countries met in Paris on June 25 and 26 at the invitation of the CNIL as part of France’s G7 presidency. They adopted a declaration on…
Brussels, 25 June - The EDPB has published an update of the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) case digest on right to object and right to erasure. This project has been developed in the…
A Citizen Lab investigation confirms evidence Russian authorities used Cellebrite tool to hack prominent Russian activist Andrey Pivovarov after the Cellebrite claimed to have…
Within the next week, Congress is preparing to vote on the KIDS Act, a sprawling package of legislation that seeks to control Americans’ web browsing and private messaging. The…
When a car passes an automated license plate reader (ALPR), its plate is captured and instantly compared against a list of vehicles that police are actively looking for or that…
The Federal Communications Commission wants to require telecommunications providers to collect vast amounts of personal information from every person who wants a phone number in…
This week marks four years since Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade’s constitutional protections for people seeking abortion care. Anniversaries…
Seeking transparency and accountability in Paraguay’s use of facial recognition, EFF, the Association of Technology, Education, Development, Research, Communication (TEDIC), and…
Time and time again, researchers have found numerous compromised Android devices for sale at large online retailers like Amazon. When these devices get individually reported, we…
On June 25, 2026, Aleid Wolfsen was appointed Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau. He received this special decoration from Claudia van Bruggen, State Secretary for Justice and…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has compiled a list of types of processing for which a 'data protection impact assessment' (DPIA) is not…
Sold to the public as a foreign surveillance tool, Section 702 is the law has let intelligence agencies spy on millions of Americans’ private conversations without a warrant.…
Victims of personal data breaches are receiving emails offering assistance in having their information removed from the internet. The CNIL urges caution regarding these…
During Privacy Research Day on June 24, 2026, the CNIL and Inria awarded the 2026 Privacy Protection Prize to a team of international researchers for their paper on the…
This page lists the CNIL's public information (documents, videos, open data).
During Privacy Research Day on June 24, 2026, Gabriel Lima, Gustavo Gil Gasiola, Frederike Zufall, and Yixin Zou received the 2nd CNIL/EHESS Prize for their paper on the…
Brussels, 24 June – The EDPB has launched a dedicated contact form for stakeholders to report possible inconsistencies in how the GDPR is interpreted across Europe. This…
GDPR Policy For years, users and many companies have been complaining about cookie banners. Even though this understandable frustration is mostly caused by misleading dark…
On 23 June 2026, 13 civil society organisations – including EDRi – launched “Make It Real: Calls to Action for a Flourishing and Just Digital Europe”, a publication outlining…
When electronic voting is to be used in civil service union elections, the voting system must undergo an independent audit. In this context, the audit reports must now be…
Brussels, 22 June - Since its establishment in 2018, the core mission of the EDPB has been to uphold and safeguard the right to data protection. Over the years, the EDPB has…
This week, politicians in the UK pushed forward with plans to eviscerate privacy and free speech on the internet by announcing a ban on social media for users under 16 that is set…
This week, EFF joined Foxglove, Human Rights Watch, and 60 other organizations in writing to the UK’s Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, raising…
Digital technology offers opportunities to grow your business, but it also comes with risks regarding the security of the data you hold, whether it is personal (customer and…
The Trump administration’s approach to AI safety, particularly the generative AI models that regularly grab headlines, has been haphazard at best. At worst, it’s unconstitutional.…
The launch of LatamGPT, a natural language processing system built by and for Latin America, prompts us to analyze where we stand and what steps we should prioritize in this…
Late last year, as part of our annual “Year in Review” series, we summarized our efforts providing digital privacy and security advice to at-risk communities. OPSEC trainings…
Court records belong to the public. Yet anyone seeking access to federal court filings through PACER, a government software system that stands for Public Access to Court…
Last week, Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Wyden introduced the Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression, or JAWBONE Act. The bipartisan legislation…
This Pride season, join EFF and the Queer Arts Collective in building a creative space at the intersection of digital justice and artistic expression. We’re looking for fresh,…