We call on European legislators to ensure full consistency with the principles of the rule of law in the AI ACT
We continue the actions of co-shaping political decisions at European level for the proposed European regulation on Artificial Intelligence (AIAct)!
Together with the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, European Center for Not-for-Profit Law Stichting, European Civic Forum and 60 other CSOs, we call on EU-level legislators to ensure that the proposed provisions are fully consistent with the principles of the rule of law, including transparency, accountability and access to justice. You can read our joint letter here.
Action is also coming at national level!
We demand an end to the use of mass biometric surveillance technologies by law enforcement authorities in public places
Today, 120 civil society organisations and 60 academics, scientists and other experts on new technologies are joining forces to stop the use of mass biometric surveillance technologies by law enforcement authorities in public places.
It is a great honour for Homo Digitalis to be part of this initiative. Already since 2020 with European Digital Rights we have been involved in the #ReclaimYourFace campaign, in which more than 250,000 people across the EU signed our petition to ban these practices.
You can read the joint statement here.
We express our concerns about Article 6 of the proposed AI legislation
As the European Union enters the final stage of trilateral negotiations on the proposed AI legislation, more than 150 civil society organisations, including Homo Digitalis, are concerned about a major loophole regarding the classification process for high-risk systems in Article 6!
Big tech companies have managed to convince the European Parliament and the Council to adopt proposed provisions that essentially leave them to decide for themselves whether the system they develop should be considered “high-risk” or not!
Read our joint statement to learn more about the challenges involved here.
Homo Digitalis in Brussels to speak at two important events
Homo Digitalis made a lightning trip to Brussels this week!
There we attended the annual plenary meeting of the Justice, Equity & Technology (JET) Table at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), which we have been members of for more than 2.5 years now, studying the implications of using technologies to defend specific social groups based on class and race.
We also successfully participated for another year in FreedomNotFear, where we had the great pleasure to organise a talk regarding the use of intrusive technologies in the field of border protection and our related legal actions for 2019-2023.
For Homo Digitalis, our Board Secretary, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, travelled from Greece to Brussels
FRONTEX responds to Homo Digitalis' Request for Access to Information on EUROSUR and the deadly shipwreck in Pylos
In June 2023, Homo Digitalis had filed a request for access to documents before FRONTEX in order to explore whether the EUROSUR system, which is composed of drones and satellites, among other technologies, was in operation during the fatal ship’s voyage from 9 to 13 June in the Mediterranean Sea and the reasons why it did not prevent this fatal shipwreck.
Today, FRONTEX replies that the EUROSUR system, despite being fully operational, has not been able to do what it promises, namely to detect large vessels that may be used by criminal organisations to transport people in the Mediterranean, putting the lives of the latter at high risk. This is a major revelation by Homo Digitalis, demonstrating that the very expensive – tens of millions of euros – solutions promised by technology companies to complex issues such as border management and the protection of people who put their lives at risk have failed. EUROSUR failed to locate the large floating vessel, despite the fact that it had been right in its field of control for more than 3 full 24 hours.
You can see the text of the reply we received here.
Homo Digitalis talks to Athens 9.84
Margarita Mytilineou is one of the most acclaimed radio producers of the last decades.
Tomorrow morning, she welcomes Lambrini Gyftokosta, Director of Artificial Intelligence & Human Rights at Homo Digitalis, for a discussion on the topic “Can our mobile phone finally listen to us?”
Tune in to learn more about the ads we see every day everywhere on the Internet.
-Why are they different for each of us?
-How much does it affect us?
-How much is it legal?
Homo Digitalis talks to Inside.Story about the microphone of our mobile phone
Can the mobile phone finally hear us?
Many people believe that the mobile phone microphone is recording us without our knowledge, for advertising purposes. So is this a conspiracy theory or reality?
To inside story. and journalist Rafaela Maneli today published an article analyzing the relevant issues, with the participation of Homo Digitalis’ Director for Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights issues, Lamprini Gyftokosta, in it. You can read the article here.
Thank you very much for the interview and the interest in our actions!
Homo Digitalis co-organizes with the Digital Freedom Fund the Strategic Litigation Meeting for the first time in Greece!
The Digital Freedom Fund’s Strategic Litigation Meeting is back!
In collaboration with Homo Digitalis and with funding from Luminate, the retreat will take place in Athens from September 11-14. If you are planning to take legal action against major tech companies or other class actions, register now here.
The retreat hosts training sessions and workshops aimed at developing participants’ legal skills and tactics in a relaxed and collaborative environment with other colleagues. DFF also hopes to be able to sponsor some of the cases that participants develop during the meeting.
After two online versions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DFF is pleased to bring the event back to its true essence as an in-person retreat where participants can disconnect from other activities and commitments to work in depth on the study and strategic planning of their cases.
In the latest post on the DFF blog, legal counsel César Manso-Sayao shares more details about the retreat, as well as some thoughts regarding recent developments on the liability of large platforms. Read it here.
Artwork by Kruthika N.S.
We call on the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the EU to prioritise fundamental rights over profits
As the EU institutions move forward in “trilogue” negotiations, the last stage for the adoption of the proposed EU legislation on AI #AIAct, we are taking a stand again!
150 civil society organisations, including Homo Digitalis, are calling on the European Parliament, the European Commission and the EU Council to put people and their fundamental rights ahead of profits!
In the coming period we intend to take initiatives in this regard at national level as well! You can read our letter here.