What’s Behind the EU’s Digitalisation Push? Surveillance, Control and Exclusion
The EU is accelerating a digital‑welfare agenda that extends its regulatory influence beyond treaty‑based competences, using soft law and funding conditions to embed data‑driven services. Pandemic‑era tools like the Digital COVID Certificate have morphed into a permanent European Digital Identity Wallet, linking health, social and financial credentials. Sectoral projects such as the European Health Data Space and the Social Security Pass create centralized data pools that enable unprecedented state and private surveillance. Critics warn that a push for 100 % online services will marginalise the elderly, migrants and low‑income citizens, prompting civil‑society calls for a "right to analog".
Ireland Investigates Meta for Breaching the DSA – a Year on From Our Complaint
Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, Coimisiún na Meán (CnaM), announced a formal investigation into Meta’s use of potentially deceptive "dark pattern" interfaces that limit users’ ability to select non‑profiling recommender feeds. The probe follows a joint complaint filed in April 2025 by...
Did the EU Parliament Really Vote Not to Protect Children Online?
In April 2026 the EU’s interim ePrivacy derogation – known as “Chat Control 1.0” – expired after the European Commission delayed its extension proposal and the Council refused Parliament’s privacy safeguards. The European Parliament voted to preserve its negotiating mandate...
Announcing the Summit “Fight for Us, Not for Them”: A Public Interest Vision for EU Tech Policy
Civil society groups announced a summit on 23 June 2026 in Brussels to present a public‑interest alternative to the EU’s digital deregulation agenda. Eleven NGOs, together with European lawmakers, regulators and journalists, will debate proposals to “simplify” core digital rights laws such...
Greece’s AI Smart Policing System Ruled Unlawful After €4 Million Public Spending\
In 2019 the Hellenic Police awarded a €4 million (≈ $4.3 million) contract to Intracom Telecom for a “Smart Policing” system that equips officers with portable devices for facial‑recognition, fingerprint and license‑plate scanning. The AI‑enabled tools were intended to speed up identity checks...
EDRi Responds to European Commission’s Consultation Call on the Digital Omnibus
The European Commission has opened a consultation on its Digital Omnibus package, a set of technical tweaks aimed at simplifying EU digital law. Civil‑rights group EDRi submitted a response warning that the draft could erode core safeguards in the ePrivacy...
Youth Organisations Demand Social Media Change, Not Bans
A coalition of 31 youth organisations and activists has issued a joint statement rejecting social‑media bans and age‑gate measures aimed at protecting minors. They argue that online harms stem from platform design and business models, a point underscored by recent...
The EU AI Office Must Prioritise Setting up the Advisory Forum
A coalition of 35 civil‑society groups and researchers has urged the EU AI Office to publish a clear timeline for establishing the Advisory Forum, the sole formal channel for non‑governmental input on the AI Act. The Forum, whose call for...
It’s Not Just Spyware Scandals: EU Is Funding the Industry that Spies on Europeans
In February 2026 Greece sentenced four people for the Predatorgate espionage scandal, marking the first criminal conviction of executives from spyware maker Intellexa. Investigations reveal that EU subsidies, loans and investment funds have funneled hundreds of thousands to millions of...
Europe Shouldn’t “Move Fast and Break Things” With Fundamental Rights
The European Union is considering the Digital Omnibus, a package that would simplify its digital rules but also roll back key safeguards in the GDPR, ePrivacy and the upcoming AI Act. The proposals would narrow the definition of personal data,...
Open Letter: EU Lawmakers Must Safeguard the AI Act
A coalition of 41 civil‑society organisations and AI experts has issued an open letter urging the European Commission, Parliament and Council to reject the AI Omnibus. They argue the proposal goes far beyond the Commission’s limited mandate for technical tweaks...
The Court of Justice of the European Union Condemns France’s Police Profiling Practices
On 19 March 2026 the Court of Justice of the European Union issued the “Comdribus” judgment, declaring France’s statutory collection of fingerprints and photographs of suspects disproportionate and contrary to EU law. The ruling emphasizes that biometric data are “sensitive” and may...
Safeguarding Democratic Lawmaking: EDRi’s Contribution to Commission Consultation on Better Regulations
The European Commission has opened a consultation to overhaul its Better Regulation framework, which is intended to make EU lawmaking more evidence‑based, transparent and inclusive. Digital‑rights group EDRi submitted a response warning that the proposed changes risk eroding democratic safeguards...
The Digital Omnibus Reopens the EU Data Acquis Before It Has Even Been Tested
The European Union’s Digital Omnibus proposal folds the Data Governance Act, Open Data Directive and other recent statutes into the 2023 Data Act, turning it into the central hub for data access, reuse and governance. While marketed as simplification, critics...
How Can the EU Protect Children Online While Dismantling the Very Rules Designed to Keep Them Safe?
EU policymakers are intensifying focus on child safety online, but recent proposals risk eroding the very safeguards built into the Digital Services Act, AI Act and GDPR. A coalition of over 300 civil‑society organisations warns the Digital Omnibus simplification could...