Tag: Regulation

The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that bulk collection of U.S. telephone metadata is unlawful. The ruling is the most significant judicial statement to date on the overbreadth of current U.S. surveillance practices.

Today, Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) re-introduced the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (“CISPA”), a bill that has passed the House of Representatives twice previously, both in 2011 and 2013, and subsequently also twice faced a veto threat from the Administration. We once again urge Congress to reject CISPA. Instead, Congress should pass the Secure Data Act. Unlike CIPSA, it would actually protect user privacy and increase data security.

The parliament in Kenya approved a dangerous new national security law yesterday.

Migration Commissioner Avramopoulos decided not to wait for the opinion of the CJEU on EU-Canada PNR and signaled his desire to quickly reach an agreement on the 2011 passenger data directive.

This week, the conference of presidents of the European Parliament gave its final approval to the appointments of Giovanni Buttarelli and Wojciech Rafa? Wiewiórowski to become the new heads of the European Union Data Protection Authority.

The sweeping new powers contained in Australia’s terror laws have the potential to violate privacy and expression rights of Australians and non-Australians and to “strike at the heart of press freedom.” The terror laws create a mutually reinforcing surveillance scheme, greatly restricting the spaces in which people are free to think and to act on and offline.

President Obama’s Executive Order is a great first step towards protecting user security. But it is now time to get serious about providing the level of security our personal data deserves. As National Cybersecurity Awareness month winds down, Obama should instruct administration officials to respect and support the increased use of encryption.

On October 22nd, twenty-seven new European Commissioners selected by President-Elect Jean-Claude Juncker are set to be confirmed by the European Parliament. In the 5 years ahead, a certain number of these incoming Commissioners will have a huge influence on digital rights and security issues that impact the lives of European citizens and, indirectly, the rest of the world.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism, Ben Emmerson, released a report on October 15 critiquing mass surveillance of digital communications. Examining surveillance through the lens of state obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Special Rapporteur’s report takes issue with the lack of authorizing surveillance legislation, the failure to respect the human rights of those located outside national boundaries, and the need for surveillance to be governed by principles of proportionality, necessity, oversight, judicial authorization, and transparency.

The UK has failed to protect its citizens’ fundamental rights to privacy and secure communications.