content regulation / Copyright / Data protection / filtering / freedom of expression / Human rights / illegal content / Internet intermediaries / notice-and-action / notice-and-take down / online platforms

Data Protection and Copyright: Could Art. 29 WP guidance on automated decision-making “help” with filters?

In its own way, the pan-EU Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (Art. 29 WP) has been very active in the past few months. One of the most awaited piece of advice released by Art. 29 WP this month covers automated individual decision-making and profiling for the purposes of Regulation 2016/679 (Opinion WP 251). Why … Continue reading

content regulation / Copyright / defamation / filtering / hate speech / Human rights / Internet intermediaries / Law enforcement / liability / notice-and-action / notice-and-take down / terrorism

The EU approach to content regulation online: tackling (il)legal content online with upload and re-upload filters!

Intermediary liability has been up until now a never-ending story. For the past two years, we have been regularly fed with communications, codes of conduct, legislative proposals, as well as soft but loud encouragements, from national governments targeting online platforms and asking them to do much more to tackle illegal content such as child sexual … Continue reading

Data retention / Human rights / Intelligence and security agencies / interception / Jurisdiction / mass surveillance / national security / Security / terrorism

Questions on UK bulk communications data capabilities referred to the EU Court of Justice

The validity of EU Member State legislation to collect and analyse bulk communications (meta)data about us by the security agencies continues to be vexed by questions over the application of EU privacy law requirements The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has this month referred questions to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) in a decision … Continue reading

Human rights / mass surveillance / safe harbour / Surveillance

CJEU rules EU-Canada PNR Agreement incompatible with EU Charter rights to privacy and personal data protection

EU data protection/privacy laws continue to keep this international Air Passenger data agreement ‘grounded from taking flight’, but what effect could the decision have on similar data agreements already concluded with the EU? On 26 July, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) declared that the EU-Canada Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement is incompatible with EU … Continue reading

Data retention / Data transfer / Human rights / Law enforcement / safe harbour / Security / Surveillance

CJEU Advocate General opines on the compatibility of EU-Canada PNR Agreement with EU Charter rights to privacy and personal data protection

We’ve heard it before, and we’ll hear it again… ‘How can interference with fundamental EU rights to privacy and personal data protection be justified when it comes to mass-automated data processing?’ In other words, to what extent will the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights keep this international agreement grounded before it can take flight? Earlier … Continue reading

Data retention / Human rights

Joint Human Rights Committee issues report scrutinising expansion by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill of UK data retention powers under the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014

Big Brother’s ‘Little Brother’ revision law also goes beyond what is strictly necessary from a human rights perspective, warns Committee The UK Joint Human Rights Committee has expressed doubts as to whether proposed data retention powers in the Counter-Terrorism and Security (CTS) Bill satisfy the requirements of the CJEU’s 2014 Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) decision … Continue reading