Data protection and digital regulation developments, collected automatically from 17+ sources.
Get this as an email digestBrussels, 18 February - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has adopted a report on its Coordinated Enforcement Framework (CEF) action on the right to be forgotten (Art.17…
The DSA Human Rights Alliance has released 'Principles for a Human Rights-Centred Application of the Digital Services Act: A Global Perspective' to guide the European Commission,…
On 3 February 2026, the United States House Committee on the Judiciary launched a report in which EDRi member Bits of Freedom and Justice for Prosperity, among others, are called…
EDRi submitted a response to the EU’s new open source digital strategy. We argue that free and open source software is not a niche technical choice, but a strategic foundation for…
The Czech Supreme Court has ruled that the legal regulation of blanket collection of electronic communications data (known as data retention) violates European Union law in a…
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: A competitiveness feast with…
As part of a coordinated effort at the European level, the CNIL conducted a series of inspections of organizations in 2025 to verify compliance with the right to erasure.
(This appeared as an op-ed published February 12, 2026 in the San Jose Spotlight, written by Huy Tran (SIREN), Jeffrey Wang (CAIR-SFBA), and Jennifer Pinsof.) As ICE and other…
Data Protection Commission opens investigation into X (XIUC)
The inquiry concerns potential breaches of the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation
Culture Commissioner Glenn Micallef warns AI is one of the main threats to the sector's working conditions
In today's edition: Parliament blocks AI features, MEPs meet MAGA committee amid censorship attacks
A draft of the Industrial Accelerator Act, obtained by Euractiv, seeks to funnel public support to homegrown companies in tech sectors including AI, chips and space
Elon Musk's Grok AI tool has channeled most of the controversy and regulatory scrutiny over sexualised deepfakes but Spain's PM eyes a wider net
The Commission will investigate Shein over concerns about illegal products, addictive features and recommender transparency under the Digital Services Act
The EDPS reiterates its call to include additional safeguards against indiscriminate chat scanning in the planned extension of the temporary rules
The deal strengthens efforts to build end-to-end model deployment capabilities
Court of Appeal tells X to hand over public data to two German-based civil society groups which are researching election risks under the EU's Digital Services Act
Report from EFF, Center for Just Journalism, and IPVM Helps Cut Through Sales HypeSAN FRANCISCO — A new report released today offers journalists tips on cutting through the sales…
The CNIL and EHESS are organizing an award dedicated to the humanities and social sciences as part of Privacy Research Day, on June 24, 2026, in Paris. A multidisciplinary jury…
An email sent to lawmakers, seen by Euractiv, shows the Parliament worried about how much data goes to AI companies
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act, organisations must have a process for handling data protection complaints within their organisation
In today's edition: Omnibus boosts AI Office, a map of social media bans, and how to open Gemini
"The new measures announced today include a crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday
Bharat Mandapam The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is a high-profile international event involving heads of state and government, ministers, senior government officials,…
The New York Times reported that Meta is considering adding face recognition technology to its smart glasses. According to an internal Meta document, the company may launch the…
In today's edition: EU Five Eyes, Dutch AI agnt warning, far-right vs EU space security, UK fines Kick
Second compromise text for the AI simplification package, obtained by Euractiv, details beefed up inspection powers
Existing data protection laws fail to address key vulnerabilities in computerized vehicles
Brussels, 13 February - The EDPB has recently adopted its work programme for 2026-2027, which is grounded in the four pillars of the EDPB strategy 2024-2027. The work programme is…
Discord has begun rolling out mandatory age verification and the internet is, understandably, freaking out. At EFF, we’ve been raising the alarm about age verification mandates…
In the second part of our series on the dodgy digital security practices underlying advanced AI tools, we examine how LLMs threaten information integrity.
Access Now, alongside several human rights organizations and independent news platforms, are calling on AppLogic Networks (previously Sandvine) to substantiate its announced…
To:Mr. Mark Driedger, Chief Executive Officer Ms. Carol Tate, Chief Ethics & Compliance OfficerAppLogic Networks Re: Addressing human rights abuses and attacks on press…
The EDPB and the EDPS have adopted a joint opinion on the proposal for a digital omnibus regulation, intended to simplify the EU regulatory framework and strengthen…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) warns users and organizations against the use of OpenClaw and similar experimental systems. The cause is the high…
Brussels, 12 February - During its latest plenary, the EDPB adopted its work programme for 2026-2027. This is the second work programme to support the implementation of the EDPB…
EDRi has assessed the Digital Omnibus proposals affecting the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy framework. While presented as simplification, the changes…
The EU Data Protection Board and the European Data Protection Supervisor strongly urge the co-legislators not to adopt the proposed changes to the definition of personal data
Surveillance technology vendors, federal agencies, and wealthy private donors have long helped provide local law enforcement “free” access to surveillance equipment that bypasses…
Criticize the government online? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might ask Google to cough up your name. By abusing an investigative tool called "administrative…
The European Commission’s dangerous and misguided Digital Omnibus proposal includes a dangerous rollback of transparency requirements in the AI Act. 60 civil society…
Digital Commons: Infrastructures, Design, and the Ethics of Autonomy is an international conference exploring how digital infrastructures shape contemporary life, and how…
The Global Gathering brings together groups from around the world working on the most urgent technology-related challenges affecting human rights, social justice, civil society,…
Media scholars Lucie Chateau and Michael Stevenson, and legal scholar Catalina Goanta on how Big Tech killed the internet.
During the State of the Internet, Waag Futurelab takes the annual temperature of the internet. This edition focuses on AI and the limits of our planet. The lecture will be given…
Why do our digital systems break people? Conversational AI tools like Grok or ChatGPT are promoted as a means to democratize knowledge and expand access to information. In…
The event will give the opportunity to the researchers, the University of Amsterdam and Eurecat – Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, to showcase the results of their analyses,…
GDPR Policy The EDPB (combining all independent data protection authorities) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) published a joint opinion expressing serious…
Brussels, 11 February - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have adopted a Joint Opinion on the Digital Omnibus Regulation…
We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the deletion of the Article 49(2) transparency safeguard for high-risk AI…
Safer Internet Day 2026
Interviewer: Jillian York Yazan Badran is an assistant professor in international media and communication studies at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a researcher at the Echo…
Group led by EFF and Imperial Valley Equity & Justice Asks Gov. Newsom and Caltrans Director to Act Immediately SAN FRANCISCO – California must revoke permits allowing federal…
Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad offered a vision of our streets that should leave every person unsettled about the company’s goals for disintegrating our privacy in public. In the ad,…
We are calling on technology companies like Meta and Google to stand up for their users by resisting the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) lawless administrative…
The Digital Omnibus proposal fails to comply with the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Better Regulation rules, EDRi urged the Council to send the proposal back to the Commission…
On January 27, 2026, the European Commission and Brazil adopted mutual adequacy decisions, confirming that their levels of data protection are comparable. On July 15, 2025, the…
The European Commission preliminarily found that TikTok was in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to the addictive design of its platform. EDRi welcomes this decision…
(This appeared as an op-ed published Friday, Feb. 6 in the Daily Journal, a California legal newspaper.) Section 230, “the 26 words that created the internet,” was enacted 30…
We are sad to report the passing of longtime EFF Board member, Dave Farber. Dave was 91 and lived in Tokyo from age 83, where he was the Distinguished Professor at Keio University…
For thirty years, internet users have benefited from a key federal law that allows everyone to express themselves, find community, organize politically, and participate in…
Section 230 helps make it possible for online communities to host user speech: from restaurant reviews, to fan fiction, to collaborative encyclopedias. But recent debates about…
Section 230 helps make it possible for online communities to host user speech: from restaurant reviews, to fan fiction, to collaborative encyclopedias. But recent debates about…
Flock contracts have quietly spread to cities across the country. But Flock ALPR (Automated License Plate Readers) erode civil liberties from the moment they're installed.…
Cookies, employee monitoring, and data security were the main issues addressed in the penalties imposed by the CNIL in 2025, with the cumulative amount of the fines totaling…
The EDRi network strongly condemns the pressure of the US Trump administration on EDRi members and allies for our work on online platform regulation.
Requests for information regarding banking incident files account for an average of 400 requests received by the CNIL each year. For this reason, the CNIL has decided to test a…
The National Commission on Information Technology and Civil Liberties met on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. with the following agenda:
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has imposed fines totaling 250,000 euros on ten municipalities. The reason is that they processed files…
In the first part of our blog series on the dodgy digital security practices underlying advanced AI tools, we unpack how LLMs can jeopardize the confidentiality of people’s data.
Federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have descended into utter lawlessness, most recently in Minnesota. The…
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have descended into utter lawlessness, most recently in Minnesota. The violence is shocking. So…
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 inspections.
As the UK adequacy renewal comes to an end, EDRi member Open Rights Group reflects on its outcome and the broader implications for the future of EU-UK relatiopnships.
The phrase "artificial intelligence" has been around for a long time, covering everything from computers with "brains"—think Data from Star Trek or Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space…
The European Commission’s new Digital Networks Act threatens to dismantle nearly a decade of net neutrality protections in Europe. What is being presented as a technical update…
At the 39th Chaos Communication Congress (39C3), German author Marc-Uwe Kling helped launch the idea of a monthly “Digital Independence Day” with a broad coalition of civil…
19 civil society organisations have penned a letter to the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) to express serious concerns about their plans to extend the Swiss…
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: borders, biometrics,…
The CNIL specifies the circumstances in which its approval is required to conduct public scientific research (excluding health-related research) that involves the processing of…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) today presents its vision on generative artificial intelligence (AI). In this vision, the regulator outlines how generative AI can be…
Editorial for International Report February 2026
Blog for International Report February 2026
Fake videos, images, and audio clips are becoming increasingly realistic and can infringe on privacy and damage reputations. Creating or sharing them is not without risk and may…
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) invites you to register for its conference, “Cross-regulatory interplay and cooperation in the EU: a data protection perspective”, taking…
The main changes to the data protection legislation in Part 5 of the Data (Use and Access) Act (DUAA) will be commenced on Thursday, 5 February, apart from Section 103
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) has amended the previously published guidance on targeted online political advertising. This version now…
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have published a joint opinion on the European Commission's proposal to simplify the…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) considers that it has been insufficiently demonstrated that special enforcement officers (BOAs) in public…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has identified three central priorities for the 2026-2028 period: mass surveillance, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital resilience.…
The EU and Brazil adopted, on 27 January, mutual adequacy decisions which confirm that their levels of data protection are comparable. This recognition allows for personal data to…
EFF has long warned about the dangers of the “real-time bidding” (RTB) system powering nearly every ad you see online. A proposed class-action settlement with Google over their…
Today, we’re launching Encrypt It Already, our push to get companies to offer stronger privacy protections to our data and communications by implementing end-to-end encryption. If…
The Electronic Frontier Foundation stands with the people of Minneapolis and with all of the communities impacted by the ongoing campaign of ICE and CBP violence. EFF will be…
On the European Data Protection Day on January 28, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) organized a session with young people. Delegates from various youth political parties…
Brussels, 29 January - The EDPB organises a remote event to collect stakeholders’ input on its Guidelines on the processing of personal data to target or deliver political…
Permanent CCTV surveillance of employees' fixed workstations is not permitted. Cameras may only be deployed if strictly necessary, for example for safety during incidents, and not…
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The Digital Services Act (DSA) Human Rights Alliance has, since its founding by EFF and Access Now in 2021, worked to ensure that the European Union follows a human rights-based…
Lawmakers in Washington are once again focusing on kids, screens, and mental health. But according to Congress, Big Tech is somehow both the problem and the solution. We're…
Ever since the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) came into force in 2018, people in the European Union have stronger privacy and data protection. However, the law is far…
Watch the video on online data protection risks for kids Brussels, 28 January - Every day, the European Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) that make up the EDPB work together to…
Municipalities find it difficult to detect the misuse of personal data by their own officials. This concerns, for example, officials who provide information to criminals under…
Dangerously unchecked surveillance and rights violations have been a throughline of the Department of Homeland Security since the agency’s creation in the wake of the September…
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week posted a photo of the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three activists who had entered a St. Paul, Minn. church to…
Data Subject Rights noyb has scored another win in its proceedings against Microsoft 365 Education: The Austrian data protection authority (DSB) has decided that the company…
BfDI Launches "ReguLab" Sandbox: Greater Clarity on Data Protection
The European Commission has opened a DSA investigation into Grok, X’s AI chatbot. EDRi welcomes this decision and is calling for a swift resolution to this matter, to ensure that…
We're taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are…
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We're taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are…
The European Commission says that TikTok has agreed to provide advertising repositories in which data is stored and managed to ensure full transparency around ads on its services,…
We're taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are…
We're taking part in Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day this week, various groups are…
Spyware continues to spread across Europe despite years of scandals and undisputable evidence of fundamental rights violations. As the European Commission remains inactive, civil…
Bits of Freedom shares lessons learned while working on “Amsterdam Top400”, an invasive municipality project which involved the use of predictive policing and led to unwanted…
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: EDRi’s 2025 year in review, new…
Brussels, 21 January - The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have adopted a Joint Opinion on the European Commission’s…