datarights

Remember our Chaos Computer Club e.V. talk with Frank fighting off Europol? (https://media.ccc.de/v/38c3-police-2-0-peaceful-activism-is-terrorism-and-fakenews-are-facts)

Well, turns out some of Frank's personal data was processed in a parallel data base hidden from Europol's data protection regulator. Explains a lot...

Investigative journalists' revelations: https://correctiv.org/en/europe/2026/05/05/they-protect-the-law-while-breaking-it-inside-europols-shadow-it-system/

Details on the complaints: https://front-lex.eu/front-lex-seek-a-ban-on-all-europols-parallel-processing-environments/

RE: @noybeu@mastodon.social

The US Supreme Court just found that US independent regulators should not be independent after all.

It was the building block of US-EU agreements to simplify procedures to share data with US entities.

This bizarre US ruling shows we need alternatives to US big tech. Alternatives don't need to be from the EU - but they need to be serious about how they protect our information!

Last week we joined the intervention against spyware company NSO in its appeal against whatsapp!

After loosing at the first instance, NSO tries to challenge end-to-end encryption, no less!

A heartfelt thanks to @accessnow@mastodon.social and @CenDemTech@techpolicy.social for doing the heavy lifting! Summary: https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/access-now-urges-the-ninth-circuit-to-protect-encryption-from-nsos-spyware/

Intervention: https://www.accessnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Brief-of-Amici-Curiae.pdf

RE: @datarights@eupolicy.social

We are moving the deadline to the 27th next week to gather more feedback! Eager to hear from #GBV supporting friends!

RE: @CPDPconferences@eupolicy.social

We are honoured to bring individuals so passionate about fixing harms caused by spyware companies and their clients, in Europe. This panel brings together law-makers and litigators to dissect nuances around the best ways to move forward.

Calling on organisations supporting survivors of gender-based violence — we need your voice.

Digital tools are too often built without survivors in mind. Yet the teams supporting them are the ones holding the most sensitive data, with the fewest resources to protect it.

At Data Rights we are designing a feminist information security support service prototype — by women, for women — and we want to ground it in the real needs of the people doing this work.

Our submission focuses on three key issues:

• Spyware such as Pegasus enables highly intrusive, covert surveillance, including through zero-click attacks, allowing full access to a person’s device without their knowledge;
• These tools have been widely used to target journalists, activists, and human rights defenders globally, often followed by chilling effects, harassment, or worse;
• This is enabled by a lack of transparency and oversight.

Read more: https://www.accessnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ECtHR-Intervention-Azerbaijan.pdf

Spyware with hacking tools annihilates human rights and targets democratic watchdogs!

Last week, with @Access Now, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Human Constanta, we’ve filed an amicus brief before the European Court of Human Rights in cases concerning alleged Pegasus use against journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.

Surveillance tech turned against the surveillers! In Iran, surveillance cameras of the regime were used by Israel to track leaders and attack them. Internet of things usually comes with poor cybersecurity. Connected devices everywhere is an aberration.

https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-security-cameras-surveillance-5f9a1fe5845d94894f3edd50af560d3a

Live from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hearings about the reform of the Cybersecurity Act (CSA). Marketá Gregorová @marketkag@mastodon.pirati.cz from @europarl_en@respublicae.eu points out that “CSA II must mandate open standards. Interoperability is a security requirement.”

Hey - do you know any French hackerspaces? We would love to get in touch with a handful of them to talk about how to relay the German campaign to help the public transition from Big Tech tools to open source alternatives :)

#DI_Day #Digital_Independence_day #digitalindependence

https://di.day/de/wechselrezepte

The White House cites cybersecurity risks to justify that no barriers are set on the path of AI training. Finally a president standing up for strong cybersecurity measures..! ;)

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/us-orders-diplomats-fight-data-sovereignty-initiatives-2026-02-25/

Yesterday, for the first time, a major spyware vendor has faced criminal consequences for its products. Intellexa, the seller of Predator, is finally starting to feel the burn of selling a product built on violating data protection and cybersecurity. While the trial began as a case of private-to-private surveillance, it has triggered a "chain reaction" that is now moving toward felony espionage charges and potential state-level complicity.

https://www.politico.eu/article/predatorgate-greece-court-sentences-predator-spyware-gang/

RE: @finnmyrstad@eupolicy.social

End with the #enshittification of our Internet! Check out the campaign video below.

Here is our joint message to EU decision makers - https://storage02.forbrukerradet.no/media/2026/02/2026-02-27-final-letter-to-eu-policymakers-2.pdf

RE: @gvlx@masto.pt

Many of those who attended asked where they could find the written intervention of Data Rights. So, here it is! thanks for asking!

https://www.datarights.ngo/interoperability-and-portability-on-iphone-and-android

And for more details, hop here! https://www.datarights.ngo/interoperability-vs-monopolies

We are thrilled, @edri@eupolicy.social members have voted to formally welcome Data Rights in their network!

🎉🎉🎉

RE: @fsfe@mastodon.social

It was wonderful, many thanks for this opportunity!

Last night the Franco-German news channel (Arte) announced that Taiwan is subject to 2k cyberattacks per minute, 2,64 million attacks per day.

Cybersecurity is now a primary tool in international relations.

Other source that can be used to cite the numbers: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-cyberattacks-taiwan-infrastructure-averaged-26-million-day-2025-report-2026-01-05/

#Interoperability Matters Beyond Tech Circles

On 31 Jan at FOSDEM 2026 in Bxl, find us at the panel “Interoperability regulation in the EU: Opening iOS and Android for Free Software”, alongside members of the EC’s #DigitalMarketsAct enforcement team

FOSDEM (EU Free and Open Source Developers’ congress) might seem like a niche conference but this session goes to the heart of how Europe is reshaping digital markets to empower users, fair competition and innovation.

https://fosdem.org/2026/schedule/event/TQS7LM-interoperability-dma-apple-google/

We are featured in Wired today! https://www.wired.it/article/spyware-in-europa-caso-paragon/

Glad this is picked up, journalists are a primary target of spyware and Italy is the EU's spyware vendors and investors hub!

RE: @datarights@eupolicy.social

Aaaaand here is the recorded talk! Suing spyware in Europe: news from the front!

https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-suing-spyware-in-europe-news-from-the-front#t=2843

As always, it has been an absolute blast to be at the #ccc congress <3

#39C3