Europe's new voice of privacy and the free Internet
Today the European Parliament’s Civil liberties Committee voted to restrict the ePrivacy Directive which aims at protecting private communications. The Parliament accepts for…
In a cross-party letter 40 Members of the European Parliament call on the European Commission to revise the proposed regulation on Artificial Intelligence…
Today, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee adopted a call to crack down on unauthorised live streams of sports events (e.g. football games).…
The EU Commission is drafting permanent legislation on the automatic searching of all online activities, including personal electronic mail and messages of each…
On Monday, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee will vote on a call to crack down on unauthorised live streams of sports events…
The EU plans to allow to continue the free transfer of personal data from EU countries to the UK after having concluded that…
The European Union’s institutional data protection watchdog has voiced ‘critical concerns’ about the European Parliament’s plans to install a biometric register that will…
There has been some harsh criticism of plans by the European Parliament‘s Bureau to fingerprint all Members of Parliament in order to register…
In search of “child pornography”, the EU wants to have all private digital communications automatically analysed and, in case of a suspicion, reported…
At the end of April, the European Parliament will vote on the regulation to prevent the dissemination of terrorist content online (TERREG). In…
Digital Green Pass raises privacy concerns. The Commission’s plans this week to establish a Digital Green Pass in order to help lift coronavirus…
Today, the European Commission presented its draft regulation on digital vaccination and testing certificates to restore freedom of travel in the EU in…
The MEPS adopted on Tuesday the draft resolution evaluating the functioning of the GDPR and called for effective enforcement, and adequate resources for…
The Internet used to be considered a place of free expression, allowing for unhindered communication across national borders. Today, these freedoms are being…
The great majority of EU justice ministers yesterday once again called a new Europe-wide, suspicionless collection of traffic and location data of the…
The Commission’s plan to introduce a “Digital Green Pass” for EU citizens threatens fundamental rights in several respects. While the European Pirates in…
In spite of repeated rulings by the European Court of Justice against data retention, a group of EU governments insist that new legislation…
Member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) accuses Google of misleading the public in a recent communication[1] on its approach to…
The term “geo-blocking” refers to a technique used on the internet to block online content regionally by the provider. Geo-blocking thus means that,…
The second trilogue negotiation between Parliament, Commission and Council on the planned e-privacy derogation, which would allow providers of e-mail, messaging and chat…
and lyrics came back to haunt him, as the anti-establishment musician was imprisoned last Tuesday on charges of insulting Spain’s monarchy and glorifying…
Naively at best, our governments are setting up the perfect conditions for the anti-democratic mass surveillance of entire populations. Now, Europeans are fighting…
Pirate Party MEP Patrick Breyer calls for signing the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Reclaim Your Face”. The initiative advocates for a ban on…
Brussels (Brussels Morning): Last week, the Portuguese EU presidency resuscitated the dormant debate on the protection of privacy and confidentiality in the use…
An expert assessment published on February 8 by the European Parliamentary Research Service found that the automated screening of private emails and messages…
The new regulation also extends confidentiality rules for traditional telecommunications providers, to internet-based services such as WhatsApp or Zoom, and services involving an…
Today, the European Parliament debated the democratic scrutiny of social media and the protection of fundamental rights. The power of social media platforms…
Today’s agreement by EU governments on a position on privacy in electronic communications (ePrivacy) is met with sharp criticism by MEP Dr. Patrick…
On 9 February, the world is celebrating Safer Internet Day (SID). The MEPs of the European Pirates fully support the annual initiative, which…
The indiscriminate and error-prone automated screening of private emails and messages in search of child pornography and grooming by US corporations such as…
A lawsuit to force the European Union’s Research Executive Agency (REA) to release documentation for the funding of a trial of face biometrics-based…
Today, the European Court of in Luxembourg heard a case brought by MEP and civil liberties activist Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) against the…
Happy Data Protection Day! This international day was established in 2007 in order to raise awareness for how our personal data is used…
The EU wants private e-mail, messaging and chat conversations to be screened for suspicious content generally and indiscriminately. On the eve of tomorrow’s…
Dating apps and videoconferencing tools could come under the scope of new EU efforts to monitor online communications in a bid to stamp…
Today, noyb files a complaint against the European Parliament on behalf of six MEPs – including Patrick Breyer of the Pirate Party. The…
The European Parliament is being investigated by the EU’s lead data regulator over a complaint that a website it set up for MEPs…
European Parliament services are coming under pressure from a group of lawmakers working with privacy activist Max Schrems over allegations that the institution’s…
The number of EU Facebook users reported to the police for allegedly sharing illegal depictions of minors declined by 46% (from 1,100 a…
Today, Members of the European Parliament will vote on a report by the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) on artificial intelligence (AI) in…
Last night the European Parliament’s Home Affairs Committee (LIBE) adopted the regulation to prevent the dissemination of terrorist content online (TERREG).[1] Committee Member…
With a supposed “video lie detector”, the EU has funded the testing of “artificial intelligence” on travellers. The technology claims to detect deception…
Member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) welcomes the decision by Facebook to suspend the error-prone mass screening of all private…
Today, the European Commission presented the Digital Services Act (DSA), proposing the biggest revision of internet rules in 20 years. The DSA will…
on in November, revealing that large gatekeepers that violate Digital Service Act rules will lead to fines up to 6% of their total…
EU lawmakers from the European Parliament and the Council signed off on new rules to police online terrorist content Thursday (10 December), in…
Brussels (Brussels Morning) The European Commission aims to turn Europol , the EU’s police cooperation agency, into a law enforcement agency with real…
Today, the final trilogue negotiations on the TERREG regulation concluded. The results are a major threat to fundamental rights in the EU with…
Millions in EU science funding is being used to develop new tools for policing and security. But who decides how far we need…
Brussels (Brussels Morning) The European Commission aims to turn Europol , the EU’s police cooperation agency, into a law enforcement agency with real…
Today, the European Commission presented new proposals for the reform of Europol and a strategy to combat terrorism. Europol has just been reprimanded…
The European Commission presented, on 9 December, two new proposals, on the revision of Europol’s mandate and the new counter-terrorism strategy. Saskia Bricmont…
We need to talk about biometric surveillance technologies Throughout the European Union, governments are experimenting with highly intrusive systems of facial recognition and…
On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted on the Report on the situation of fundamental rights in the European Union 2018-2019. The Pirates supported…
Digital experts are calling for taking control away from excessively powerful Internet companies and placing it in the hands of the users themselves.…
The EU Commission wants to legalise the mass screening and surveillance of all private electronic communications in search of possible ‘child pornography’, which…
There is something about elevators that make them fertile ground for forms of abuse across the EU institutions. Countless testimonies over the years…
On June 18th 2020, the French Constitutional Court declared key provisions of the Avia law unconstitutional. That legislation aimed at tackling terrorist content…
The date of the virtual meeting could hardly have had more symbolic power. Five years ago on Friday, attackers went on a rampage…
On Monday, the Austrian National Service Broadcaster (ORF) published a secret draft of a planned Council resolution seeking to undermine encryption. According to…
The European Union has a problem. How does it legislate against the encrypted communication of messaging apps without it looking like an assault…
The EU is calling for access to encrypted communication, claiming this would help the bloc protect its citizens from Islamist radicals
BERLIN (AP) — Digital rights campaigners on Monday criticized a proposal by European Union governments that calls for communications companies
The eight-page text, leaked to the Financial Times and Guardian newspapers, said recent attacks in France and Austria showed the “extent of the…
Leaked documents have sparked questions over whether or not the EU is moving towards banning end-to-end encryption. But is that what is actually…
On November 9, 2020, the Austrian National Service Broadcaster (ORF) published a secret draft of a planned EU Council resolution seeking to undermine…
Priority question for written answer P-005237/2020to the CouncilRule 138Patrick Breyer (Verts/ALE)
Question for written answer E-005117/2020to the CouncilRule 138Patrick Breyer (Verts/ALE) Answer in writing Subject: Council Decision of 13 July 2018 amending the Act concerning the…
Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party), Member of the European Parliament, has filed a complaint with the data protection authority of Schleswig-Holstein against the practise…
The International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles require a committment to non-partisanship, meaning that applicants may not ‘advocate for or against any policy…
The European Parliament voted yesterday on three seperate reports on the Digital Services Act. The reports were adopted by a large majority, showing…
Law enforcement agency Europol is likely to have mishandled troves of personal data in breach of the agency’s own rules, according to the…
This week, the European Parliament will vote on three seperate reports on the Digital Services Act, positioning itself towards the Commission, which plans…
Digital Services Act an ‘incredible opportunity for EU to set global standards’ says Greens MEP. Speaking at a virtual news conference on Tuesday,…
European Parliament will have a new biometric time and attendance system in place for a test at its Brussels facilities,… The post European…
The UK already had a high wall to climb for it to win an adequacy decision that will let it continue data flows…
The European Parliament is to test a biometric attendance register for MEPs taking part in meetings at its Brussels premises, internal documents seen…
Patrick Breyer, civil liberties activist and Member of the European Parliament for the Pirate Party, explains today’s ECJ rulings on data retention: “Under…
Blanket, indiscriminate telecommunications data retention has no statistically significant impact on crime or crime clearance. This is the result of a study by…
Welcome to EURACTIV’s Digital Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. “When…
Question for written answer E-005390/2020to the CommissionRule 138Patrick Breyer (Verts/ALE) Subject: Explaining black box AI machine learning models and using interpretable models
The European Parliament‘s Internal Market (IMCO) Committee today adopted its report on the proposed Digital Services Act (DSA). The Civil Liberties (LIBE) Committee…
Just Transition FundReport: Manolis Kefalogiannis (A9-0135/2020)Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Just…
The European Parliament today debated a draft legislation by the EU Commission that would allow the screening without suspicion of all private electronic…
Brussels, 16/09/2020 – Today, Ursula von der Leyen talked about the state of our Union. In her speech, she touched upon many topics…
The EU Commission is proposing to screen and monitor all private electronic communications without suspicion in order to search for possible child pornographic…
The EU Commission wants all private electronic communications to be screened for possible child pornography, in the absence of any suspicion. This week…
Question for written answer to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule…
A large majority of EU citizens oppose EU plans to establish transnational anti-terror Internet censorship. This is the result of a YouGov opinion…
EU Legal Affairs Committee wants Digital Services Act to end surveillance capitalism and AI censorship The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee yesterday adopted,…
A comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing – Commission’s Action plan and other recent developments The Pirates in the…
No doubt the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) is a success story! After more than four years of hard negotiations on the European…
The German police and intelligence agencies have excessive access to citizens’ mobile and internet communications, the country’s Constitutional Court said on Friday, ordering…
Germany’s top court on Friday ruled that police and intelligence officials have excessive access to personal data on mobile phone and internet users,…
MEP Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party) welcomes today’s ruling by the European Court of Justice against the transfer of personal data to the USA:…
Member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer (Pirate Party, Greens/EFA group) is looking for an Accredited Parliamentary Assistant to work in Brussels, with…
Critics warn that Europe could find itself in an untenable position, caught between upholding privacy ethics that have helped burnish its global reputation,…
Tech giants have told the EU it would be impossible to comply with officials’ demands to take down terrorist material within one hour…
The amount of terrorist content online is decreasing but EU governments are still calling for upload filters, reveal internal documents released by the…
Despite a reputation as a divisive and controversial technology among both the general public and the scientific community, lie detectors have been considered…
Patrick Breyer – Digitaler Freiheitskämpfer und Spitzenkandidat der Piratenpartei zur Europawahl 2019