Raegan MacDonald

Today’s historic decision reopened the debate on the necessity and proportionality of communications data retention in the EU and around the world.

How do we ensure the protection of civil liberties online? This is a question almost as old as the internet itself, particularly as rapid advances in technology have left society with legal frameworks that are at times outdated and inappropriate for managing the challenges facing digital rights today.

In the aftermath of 2013’s disclosures on government mass surveillance, there’s a simple “low-hanging fruit” protecting users. The majority of internet traffic — our emails, searches, chats, website visits, and more — remain unencrypted and vulnerable to prying eyes.

Access welcomes yesterday’s vote in the LIBE Committee, which addressed several of the problematic provisions and proved its commitment to protecting the internet as a platform for free expression and innovation.

Yesterday, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) presented its final report on the activities of the American and British spy agencies surveillance programmes and their impact on E.U. citizens’ fundamental rights.

Today we celebrated the 33rd International Data Privacy Day by reminding members of the Council of the E.U. representatives of their obligation to protect the rights of European citizens. We sent a letter, signed by several European and International NGOs, outlining the importance of the rights to privacy and data protection and urging them to reach a conclusion on the General Data Protection Regulation without any further delay.

On the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the celebration of UN Human Rights day, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect upon the importance of privacy and data protection as key pillars of healthy societies.

Last Thursday, after two years of delay, the European Commission published a proposal for the Regulation of the Telecom Single Market that promises Net Neutrality but delivers just the opposite.

While European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes was expected to publish the official proposal for a Regulation of the Telecom Single Market today, the announcement has been pushed back to allow for changes following significant concerns raised by other Commissioners on this hotly-debated legislation.