Our very own Eleftherios Chelioudakis is now Executive Director at Homo Digitalis

Who said dreams don’t come true?

After more than 6 years in the role of co-founder and Secretary of the Board of Homo Digitalis, and his voluntary contribution to the organization’s activities, Eleftherios Chelioudakis takes on a new role, that of Executive Director of Homo Digitalis.

This is yet another big and important step for Homo Digitalis on the road to its sustainable development and the emergence of its strategic role in the protection of Human Rights in the modern digital era.

Περισσότερες πληροφορίες για το προφίλ του

Ο Λευτέρης είναι δικηγόρος με βαθιά εξειδίκευση στις νέες τεχνολογίες. Για περισσότερα από 8 έτη, παρέχει την καθοδήγησή του σε ερευνητικά προγράμματα και νομικές υποθέσεις που αφορούν την προστασία δεδομένων προσωπικού χαρακτήρα, την προστασία της ιδιωτικής ζωής, ζητήματα διανοητικής ιδιοκτησίας (πνευματική ιδιοκτησία, σήματα και βιομηχανική ιδιοκτησία), το ηλεκτρονικό εμπόριο και την κυβερνοασφάλεια.  Με διπλό ακαδημαϊκό υπόβαθρο στη νομική επιστήμη και στην επιστήμη των ηλεκτρονικών υπολογιστών, ο Λευτέρης διαθέτει διεπιστημονικές γνώσεις και πρακτική εξειδίκευση για την επιτυχή διαχείριση σύνθετων προκλήσεων, καθώς έχει εργαστεί για διεθνείς δικηγορικές εταιρίες, ακαδημαϊκά ιδρύματα του εξωτερικού, ιδιωτικές εταιρίες, οργανώσεις της κοινωνίας των πολιτών, οργανισμούς της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης, και διεθνείς οργανισμούς.

Ακαδημαϊκό υπόβαθρο

  • Advanced MSc in Digital Humanities, Σχολή Η/Υ KU Leuven (Cum Laude), 2019
  • LL.M in Law & Technology, Νομική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου του Tilburg (Απόφοιτος της χρονιάς με την υψηλότερη βαθμολογία – Cum Laude), 2017,
  • LL.B, Νομική Σχολή του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών (Λίαν Καλώς), 2014,
  • Νομική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου Χάρβαρντ, CopyrightX, 2018,
  • Ευρωπαϊκό Πανεπιστημιακό Ινστιτούτο και Νομική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου του Πίτσμπουργκ, Θερινό Σχολείο: Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη και Δίκαιο, 2019
  • Πολυτεχνείο Κρήτης, Θερινό Σχολείο Advanced Courses on AI (ACAI), AI for Multi-Agent Worlds, Με υποτροφία της European Association of AI (EurAI), 2019,
  • University of Ferrara, Θερινό Σχολείο Advanced Courses on AI (ACAI), Statistical Relational Artificial Intelligence (StarAI). 2018.

Γλώσσες

  • Ελληνικά και Αγγλικά

Συμμετοχή σε Επαγγελματικούς & Επιστημονικούς Συλλόγους

  • Μέλος του Δικηγορικού Συλλόγου Πειραιά (Δικηγόρος παρ’ Εφέταις),
  • Μέλος-Παρατηρητής της Επιτροπής του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης για την Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη (CAI), εκπροσωπώντας τη Homo Digitalis,
  • Μέλος στο AI for Sustainable Development Goals (AI4SDGs) Think Tank του Center for Long-term Artificial Intelligence (CLAI),
  • Μέλος και Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) στη International Association of Privacy Professionals (ΙAPP), με πιστοποιήσεις: Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPP/E), Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), και Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT),
  • Μέλος της International Association for Artificial Intelligence & Law,
  • Μέλος της Δεξαμενής Ειδικών των Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου Προστασίας Δεδομένων,
  • Μέλος του Δικτύου Ειδικών Προστασίας Δεδομένων (EDEN) της Europol,
  • Μέλος του Internet Privacy Engineering Network (IPEN) του Ευρωπαίου Επόπτη Προστασίας Δεδομένων,
  • Μέλος του Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, and the Digital Welfare State Community of Practice του Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice στο New York University School of Law, εκπροσωπώντας τη Homo Digitalis,
  • Μέλος του Advisory Board του Jean Monnet Chair in Mediterranean Digital Societies and Law στο Polytechnic University of Turin, εκπροσωπώντας τη Homo Digitalis,
  • Μέλος του Scientific Network-International Observatory on Vulnerable People in Data Protection (VULNERA) του Vrije Universiteit Brussel & του Future of Privacy Forum, εκπροσωπώντας τη Homo Digitalis,
  • Μέλος του Justice, Equity and Technology (JET) Table του London School of Economics and Political Science, εκπροσωπώντας τη Homo Digitalis,
  • Μέλος του External Advisory Board του Ερευνητικού Προγράμματος Horizon Europe EITHOS (European Identity Theft Observatory System),
  • Μέλος της Ομάδας Εργασίας του Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) για την Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη & Κυβερνοασφάλεια (λήξη εργασιών 2020),
  • Μέλος του External Advisory Board του Ερευνητικού Προγράμματος Horizon 2020 PopAI A European Positive Sum Approach towards AI tools in support of Law Enforcement and safeguarding privacy and fundamental rights (λήξη εργασιών 2023).

Δημοσιεύσεις

Ομιλίες σε Συνέδρια (ενδεικτικά)

  • InfoLaw, 2024, ΑΙ: Από τη θεωρία στην Πράξη … για την Τεχνητή Νοημοσύνη,
  • 8th Data Privacy & Protection Conference 2024, Homo Digitalis’ actions before the Hellenic DPA: A brief overview of cases on Metadata Retention, Biometric Databases and AI Systems,
  • RightsCon, 2023, How to beat a Centaur? A closer look into technology-led border management in Greece,
  • 2nd Quo Vadis AI International Conference, 2022, Artificial Justice, Supervision and Rights,
  • RightsCon, 2022, “Breaking the digital baton: counter-power in the age of high-tech policing,
  • European Commission’s (DIGIT) Legal Interoperability Team, Better Regulation for Smoother Implementation (BLSI) Series, 2021, Digital-ready policies and the support of new technologies in policy activities,
  • The remote Chaos Experience (rC3) organized by the Chaos Computer Club, 2021, The ReclaimYourFace Campaign: EU, ban biometric mass surveillance,
  • EDEN Conference organised by Europol and the Academy of European Law, 2021, (Doin’ it right) Making sure good cops are hunting bad guys – not any other way around”,
  • Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP), 2021, The Effective Supervision Of Law Enforcement Authorities: A Reality Or A Myth?,
  • 11th Hellenic Conference on Artificial Intelligence (SETN 2020), Special Event on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Law, When European Criminal Justice meets Orwell: Assessing Risk Assessment tools,
  • Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP), 2020, AI and Migration Control: New Tools in the Service of Fortress Borders,
  • Twelfth International Workshop on Juris-informatics (JURISIN 2018), “AI Risk Assessment Tools: A judge’s best friend?

 

by Homo Digitalis

Homo Digitalis' participation in the Digital World Summit Greece was a great success

Homo Digitalis had the great honor and pleasure to be present with double representation at the Digital World Summit Greece, today Tuesday, May 28th at the National Hellenic Research Foundation!

Specifically, our Vice President and Partner at Digital Law Experts (DLE), Stefanos Vitoratos, participated as a moderator in the 1st panel of the conference, on the topic “#AI: The intersection between regulation and innovation”, in a fascinating discussion with speakers such as Dimitris Gerogiannis (President AI Catalyst), Lilian Mitrou (Professor, Department of Information & Communication Systems Engineering, University of the Aegean), Charalambos Tsekeris (President of the National Bioethics & Technology Ethics Committee), Yannis Mastrogeorgiou (Special Secretary for Long Term Planning, Presidency of the Greek Government) and Fotis Draganidis (Director of Technology at Microsoft Hellas).

Our Director for Human Rights & Artificial Intelligence, Lamprini Gyftokosta, was a speaker at the 2nd panel of the Digital World Summit Greece 2024, on “Cybersecurity, Citizen Security and Artificial Intelligence”! The panel was moderated by Konstantinos Anagnostopoulos (Co-founder & Director, Athens Legal Tech), while Natalia Soulia (Senior Associate | Privacy, Data Protection & Cybersecurity, KG Law FIrm) was also present as a speaker, Thomas Dobridis (Head of the General Directorate of Cybersecurity, Ministry of Digital Governance), Antonis Broumas (Head of Law and Technology, EY Platis-Anastasiades) and Stella Tsitsoula (Founder, RED. comm, Co-Founder | Women4Cyber GR | Founder Hellenic Cybersecurity Institute)!

We would like to thank the organizers for their kind invitation, as every year, to this important conference.

 

 

by Homo Digitalis

We successfully presented our actions at InfoRights 2024 in Corfu

Homo Digitalis has the great pleasure to participate in the Third Interdisciplinary Conference Info Rights , organized by the Reading Society of Corfu on 17 & 18 May 2024 entitled “Human Rights in the Information Age: Benchmarks of History, Law, Ethics and Culture”.

Specifically, on Saturday 18 May, our member Christos Zanganas represented Homo Digitalis presenting our important actions in the field of Digital Rights in our three pillars of interest, Awareness, Advocacy and Strategic Legal Actions!

We would like to thank the organizers for the kind invitation!

by Homo Digitalis

We took an award at CPDP for the Reclaim Your Face campaign

On Tuesday 21 May at the Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) conference in Brussels the first ever “Europe AI Policy Leader Awards” by the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP) took place!!

There the European Digital Rights (EDRi) network, of which Homo Digitalis is the only member in Greece, received the “AI Policy Leader in Civil Society” award for the Reclaim Your Face campaign which was a leader in setting limits on the use of remote biometric identification in the EU AI Act!!!

It is a great honour for Homo Digitalis to be a co-founding member of this campaign, and this award fills all campaign members from the EDRi network and other allies with enthusiasm for all that we can achieve when we act strategically under a common goal!

Thank you CAIDP for this important recognition!

by Homo Digitalis

Homo Digitalis with double representation at Digital World Summit Greece

Homo Digitalis has the great honor and pleasure to participate with double representation at the Digital World Summit Greece, on Tuesday 28 May at the National Hellenic Research Foundation!

Specifically, our Vice President and Partner at Digital Law Experts (DLE), Stefanos Vitoratos, will participate as a moderator in the 1st panel of the conference, on the topic “AI: The intersection between regulation and innovation”, in a fascinating panel discussion featuring Dimitris Gerogiannis (President AI Catalyst), Lillian Mitrou (Professor, Department of Information & Communication Systems Engineering, University of the Aegean), Charalambos Tsekeris (President of the National Bioethics & Technology Ethics Committee), Yannis Mastrogeorgiou (Special Secretary of Long Term Planning, Presidency of the Greek Government) and Fotis Draganidis (Director of Technology at Microsoft Hellas).

Our Director for Human Rights & Artificial Intelligence, Lambrini Gyftokosta, will participate as a speaker in the 2nd panel of the Digital World Summit Greece 2024, on the topic “Cybersecurity, Citizen Security and Artificial Intelligence”! This very interesting panel will be moderated by Konstantinos Anagnostopoulos (Co-founder & Director, Athens Legal Tech), while Natalia Soulia (Senior Associate | Privacy, Data Protection & Cybersecurity, KG Law FIrm), Thomas Dombridis (Head of the General Directorate of Cybersecurity of the Ministry of Digital Governance), Antonis Broumas (Head of the Law Department of the Ministry of Digital Governance), Antonis Broumas (Head of the Law Department of the Ministry of Digital Governance), and the Head of the Law Department of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Greece) will also be present as speakers.

You can register and read more about the conference and its programme here.

by Homo Digitalis

Joint Statement of 18 organisations about EU’s White Paper on “How to master Europe's digital infrastructure needs”

Homo Digitalis joined epicenter.works and other 16 organisations, supporting an open internet and a competitive telecommunications market in the European Union!

With our statement, we express our concerns and observations on the current discussions on the future of the EU telecoms sector regulatory framework. Following the publication of the European Commission’s White Paper on “How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs” (the “White Paper”), and ahead of the upcoming Telecommunications Council of 21 May 2024, we call on EU Member States to take a pro-competitive, consumer centric approach and oppose any proposals for premature and unjustified changes to the EU telecommunications regulatory framework.

We are especially concerned that the European Commission’s White Paper, in its proposed scenario 5, second bullet point 2, suggests “recommending no markets for presumptive ex ante regulation”. This would amount to a removal of obligations for former monopolist Telecoms incumbents, measures which would result in reduced competition, hinder rollout of high-capacity infrastructure and limit the availability of affordable options for European consumers and businesses.

We therefore regret such considerations of the European Commission in the White Paper and in various public statements since its publication, including that “rules on interconnection should apply to everyone”, or that “an arbitration mechanism could be foreseen”.

We call on EU ministers to take a pro-competition, positive innovation, and consumer centric approach, strongly opposing any policy scenario that may result in legal uncertainty and detrimental consequences for European consumers, businesses and the open internet.

You can read our joint statement here.

by Homo Digitalis

Digital Services Act: Striking a Balance Between Online Safety and Free Expression

By Anastasios Arampatzis

The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) stands as a landmark effort to bring greater order to the often chaotic realm of the internet. This sweeping legislation aims to establish clear rules and responsibilities for online platforms, addressing a range of concerns from consumer protection to combatting harmful content. Yet, within the DSA’s well-intentioned provisions lies a fundamental tension that continues to challenge democracies worldwide: how do we ensure a safer, more civil online environment without infringing on the essential liberties of free expression?

This blog delves into the complexities surrounding the DSA’s provisions on chat and content control. We’ll explore how the fight against online harms, including the spread of misinformation and deepfakes, must be carefully weighed against the dangers of censorship and the chilling of legitimate speech. It’s a balancing act with far-reaching consequences for the future of our digital society.

Online Harms and the DSA’s Response

The digital realm, for all its promise of connection and knowledge, has become a breeding ground for a wide range of online harms.  Misinformation and disinformation campaigns erode trust and sow division, while hate speech fuels discrimination and violence against marginalized groups. Cyberbullying shatters lives, particularly those of vulnerable young people. The DSA acknowledges these dangers and seeks to address them head-on.

The DSA places new obligations on online platforms, particularly Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) with a significant reach.  These requirements include:

  • Increased transparency: Platforms must explain how their algorithms work and the criteria they use for recommending and moderating content.
  • Accountability: Companies will face potential fines and sanctions for failing to properly tackle illegal and harmful content.
  • Content moderation: Platforms must outline clear policies for content removal and implement effective, user-friendly systems for reporting problematic content.

The goal of these DSA provisions is to create a more responsible digital ecosystem where harmful content is less likely to flourish and where users have greater tools to protect themselves.

The Censorship Concern

While the DSA’s intentions are admirable, its measures to combat online harms raise legitimate concerns about censorship and the potential suppression of free speech. History is riddled with instances where the fight against harmful content has served as a pretext to silence dissenting voices, critique those in power, or suppress marginalized groups.

Civil society organizations have stressed the need for DSA to include clear safeguards to prevent its well-meaning provisions from becoming tools of censorship. It’s essential to have precise definitions of  “illegal” or  “harmful” content – those that directly incite violence or break existing laws. Overly broad definitions risk encompassing satire, political dissent, and artistic expression, which are all protected forms of speech.

Suppressing these forms of speech under the guise of safety can have a chilling effect, discouraging creativity, innovation, and the open exchange of ideas vital to a healthy democracy. It’s important to remember that what offends one person might be deeply important to another. The DSA must tread carefully to avoid empowering governments or platforms to unilaterally decide what constitutes acceptable discourse.

Deepfakes and the Fight Against Misinformation

Deepfakes, synthetic media manipulated to misrepresent reality, pose a particularly insidious threat to the integrity of information. Their ability to make it appear as if someone said or did something they never did has the potential to ruin reputations, undermine trust in institutions, and even destabilize political processes.

The DSA rightfully recognizes the danger of deepfakes and places an obligation on platforms to make efforts to combat their harmful use. However, this is a complex area where the line between harmful manipulation and legitimate uses can become blurred. Deepfake technology can also be harnessed for satire, parody, or artistic purposes.

The challenge for the DSA lies in identifying deepfakes created with malicious intent while protecting those generated for legitimate forms of expression. Platforms will likely need to develop a combination of technological detection tools and human review mechanisms to make these distinctions effectively.

The Responsibility of Tech Giants

When it comes to spreading harmful content and the potential for online censorship, a large portion of the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of major online platforms. These tech giants play a central role in shaping the content we see and how we interact online.

The DSA directly addresses this immense power by imposing stricter requirements on the largest platforms, those deemed Very Large Online Platforms. These requirements are designed to promote greater accountability and push these platforms to take a more active role in curbing harmful content.

A key element of the DSA is the push for transparency. Platforms will be required to provide detailed explanations of their content moderation practices, including the algorithms used to filter and recommend content. This increased visibility aims to prevent arbitrary or biased decision-making and offers users greater insight into the mechanisms governing their online experiences.

Protecting Free Speech – Where do We Draw the Line?

The protection of free speech is a bedrock principle of any democratic society. It allows for the robust exchange of ideas, challenges to authority, and provides a voice for those on the margins. Yet, as the digital world has evolved, the boundaries of free speech have become increasingly contested.

The DSA represents an honest attempt to navigate this complex terrain, but it’s vital to recognize that there are no easy answers. The line between harmful content and protected forms of expression is often difficult to discern. The DSA’s implementation must include strong safeguards informed by fundamental human rights principles to ensure space for diverse opinions and critique.

In this effort, we should prioritize empowering users. Investing in media literacy education and promoting tools for critical thinking are essential in helping individuals become more discerning consumers of online information.

Conclusion

The Digital Services Act signals an important turning point in regulating the online world. The struggle to balance online safety and freedom of expression is far from over. The DSA provides a strong foundation but needs to be seen as a step in an ongoing process, not a final solution. To ensure a truly open, democratic, and safe internet, we need continuing vigilance, robust debate, and the active participation of both individuals and civil society.

by Homo Digitalis

We participate in InfoRights 2024 in Corfu

Homo Digitalis has the great pleasure to participate in the Third Interdisciplinary Conference, organized by the Corfu Reading Society on 17 & 18 May 2024 entitled “Human Rights in the Information Age: Benchmarks of History, Law, Ethics and Culture”.

Our member Christos Zanganas will represent Homo Digitalis at the Conference, and on Saturday 18 at 12:00 he will present Homo Digitalis’ work for the protection of human rights in relation to the information society in Greece!

We would like to thank the organizers for the very honorable invitation!

You can register for free to attend the conference in person or read more about it here.

The focus of the interdisciplinary themes of the conference is human rights in relation to information in terms of history, regulation (law and ethics) and culture. It is co-organised by the Cultural and Historical Heritage Documentation Laboratory of TABM, the IHRC Research Group of TABM, and the Ionian University Library and Information Centre with the collaboration of the UNESCO Chair on Threats to Cultural Heritage and Heritage-related Activities of the Ionian University, as well as the Corfu Bar Association and the Ionian University Museum Collections.

by Homo Digitalis

We bring the "Misinformation" and "What The Future Wants" editions of the international exhibition "The Glass Room" to ADAF 2024!

The “Misinformation” and “What The Future Wants” editions of Tactical Tech’s international exhibition “The Glass Room” will be at the Athens Digital Arts Festival 2024 (ADAF2024)!!

In collaboration with Tactical Tech, the exhibition is brought to Greece by Homo Digitalis, Digital Detox Experience and Open Lab Athens, with the Homo Digitalis team and specifically our members Sophia Antonopoulou, Ariana Rapti and Alkmini Gianni, organising the two exhibitions for ADAF 2024!

ADAF 2024 will take place from 16 to 26 May at the Former Santarosa Courts (48 Stadiou & Arsaki). “The Glass Room: Misinformation Edition” will be available to the audience throughout the festival, while “The Glass Room: What the Future Wants Edition” will be presented in the form of a workshop on Saturday 18/5 at 14.00 by our members Sophia Antonopoulou, Ariana Rapti and Alkmini Gianni.

You can buy tickets for ADAF 2024 and read the full festival programme here.

Many thanks to our three members for their time, energy and dedication in organizing these exhibitions, as well as to ADAF for hosting us!

The Glass Room exhibition has travelled to 61 countries around the world, counting 471 award-winning events and more than 350,000 visitors worldwide. In the past, Homo Digitalis, Digital Detox Experience and Open Lab Athens have presented the exhibitions at the National Library of Greece in Athens and at JOIST Innovation Park in Larissa.

by Homo Digitalis