Voluntary educational actions in schools: Homo Digitalis visits the High School of Ierissos
Last week Homo Digitalis literally hit the road again!
After the very successful 1500 km tour in the Peloponnese and Central Greece, the 4 schools and the more than 600 students and teachers we met there, this time it was the turn of Northern Greece with 5 different schools and a new record of kilometers and students!
After Serres, it was the turn of Chalkidiki!
Homo Digitalis talked about the digital footprint to all the students of the Ierissos High School and Ierissos Gymnasium. The active participation of the children and teachers in these interactive presentations fills us with joy and hope, but also with ideas for a wider public awareness on these issues.
We thank Charalambos Daftsios and Lambrini Yftokosta for representing us to over 350 children and especially to our excellent host and Director of the High School, Mrs. Mavroudi for inviting us to host the event.
Homo Digitalis’ actions in the field of student awareness are carried out with the organization’s own resources and with the contribution of our network of volunteers! Your support is very important to achieve more in the new year!
Voluntary educational actions in schools: Homo Digitalis visits the 3rd High School of Serres
Last week Homo Digitalis hit the road again!
After the very successful 1500 km tour in the Peloponnese and Central Greece, the 4 schools and the more than 600 students and teachers we met there, this time it was the turn of Northern Greece with 5 different schools and a new record of kilometers and students!
We started from Serres, in a historic place, a neoclassical building built in 1885 to house the city’s hospital and then converted into the first Gymnasium of Thileon Serres, and now operating as the 3rd Gymnasium of the city! We were there on April 1 to talk to students and teachers about the digital footprint.
We would like to thank the Director Mrs. Arapaki Chrysanthi and the IT teacher Mr. Moscholios Stavros for the invitation!
Homo Digitalis’ actions in the field of student awareness are carried out with the organization’s own resources and with the contribution of our network of volunteers! Your support is very important to achieve more in the new year!
Interview of Homo Digitalis to SOLOMON for our great success and the 175.000 euro fine of the Hellenic DPA to the Ministry of Asylum and Migration
Homo Digitalis spoke to SOLOMON and journalists Lydia Emmanouilidou and Apostolis Fotiadis for their report on our complaint against the KENTAUROS and YPERION systems and the 175,000 euro fine imposed by the Greek Data Protection Authority on the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Comments on Homo Digitalis were provided by our Co-Founder and Lawyer, Eleftherios Chelioudakis.
You can read the article and the journalists’ important revelations here.
We sincerely thank the journalists for their cooperation and interest in our actions.
We participated with great success in Infolaw 2024
Last Thursday 28 March we had the great honour and pleasure to speek at Infolaw 2024 “Regulating Digital Innovation: AI, Cybersecurity and Platforms” participating in the panel “AI: From Theory to Practice … on AI”.
We were represented there by our co-founder Eleftherios Chelioudakis, who spoke about the challenges posed by Articles 5 and 6 of the AI Act, FRIAs and the tools that civil society has at its disposal to address potential violations of the legal framework.
The panel was moderated by Lillian Mitrou, Professor at the University of the Aegean, Lawyer, and President of the Institute for Privacy, Data Protection and Technology Law with their participants:
-Spyros Vlachopoulos, Professor of Constitutional Law at the School of Law, University of Athens, Greece, Lawyer.
-Telemachos Moraitis, Head of Government Relations at Microsoft for countries in Southeast and Central Eastern Europe, and -Christian Law Professor, University of Athens, Faculty of Law, Law School of Physics and Lawyers, University of Athens, PhD, and -Telemachos Moraitis, Head of Government Relations at Microsoft for countries in Southeast and Central Eastern Europe, and
-Dimitris Kyriazis, Elected Assistant Professor of European Law, Faculty of Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
We would like to thank once again the organizers for the inclusion and the honorary invitation!
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority fines the Ministry of Migration and Asylum for the "Centaurus" and "Hyperion" systems with the largest penalty ever imposed to a Greek public body
Two years ago, in February 2022, Homo Digitalis had filed a complaint against the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum for the “Centaurus” and “Hyperion” systems deployed in the reception and accommodation facilities for asylum seekers, in cooperation with the civil society organizations Hellenic League for Human Rights and HIAS Greece, as well as the academic Niovi Vavoula.
Today, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority identified significant GDPR violations in this case by the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum and decided to impose a fine of €175.000 euro – the highest ever imposed against a public body in the country.
The detailed analysis of the GDPR highlights the significant shortcomings that the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum had fallen into in the context of preparing a comprehensive and coherent Data Protection Impact Assessment, and demonstrates the significant violations of the GDPR that have been identified and relate to a large number of subjects who have a real hardship in being able to exercise their rights.
Despite the fact that the DPA remains understaffed, with a reduced budget, facing even the the risk of eviction from its premises, it manages to fulfil its mission and maintain citizens’ trust in the Independent Authorities. It remains to be seen how long the DPA will last if the state does not stand by its side.
Of course, nothing ends here. A high fine does not in itself mean anything. The Ministry of Immigration and Asylum must comply within 3 months with its obligations. However, the decision gives us the strength to continue our actions in the field of border protection in order to protect the rights of vulnerable social groups who are targeted by highly intrusive technologies.
You can read our press release here.
You can read Decision 13/2024 on the Authority’s website here.
Homo Digitalis interview with The Press Project on AI and Democracy
Today, AI is closer than ever to our lives and most of us welcome it with awe and suspicion.
But what is actually happening, and what are the challenges and opportunities that AI creates for our societies and democracy?
Lamprrini Gyftokosta, Director of Artificial Intelligence & Human Rights at Homo Digitalis spoke to The Press Project and journalist Jenny Tsiropoulou about relevant issues, as well as about our dozens of actions in the field of AI over the last 6 years!
You can read the article here.
We would like to thank the journalist for her interest in our actions.
Requesting access to personal data stored by Europol: a guide
Europol is the European Union’s law enforcement cooperation agency.
Its main task is to receive, exchange and analyse information and data received from the national police authorities of EU Member States, international organisations such as Interpol, third countries and private companies. This is done in order to support national law enforcement authorities “in preventing and combating organised crime, terrorism and other forms of serious crime”.
But Europol’s powers have been steadily increasing over the last decade, which has led to it playing an increasingly important role in police activities and operations. This includes processing data on civilian activities, travel passengers, as well as third country nationals.
This guide is addressed to activists, lawyers and all interested individuals who wish to have access to personal data processed by Europol concerning themselves or their clients. The guide provides a brief overview of the relevant policy framework, as well as advice and information on the procedure for requesting access to personal data, relevant resources and a model application form.
This guide was produced by Romain Lanneau, Statewatch and Chloé Berthélémy, EDRi with contributions from Chris Jones (Statewatch), Jesper Lund (IT-Pol), Caterina Rodelli (Access Now) and Laure Baudrihaye. Translated into Greek by the Homo Digitalis’ team on a pro bono basis.
You can read the guide in other languages here.
Homo Digitalis interview with Inside Story about the MEP Asimakopoulou emails' case
The member of Homo Digitalis, Christos Zanganas, represented Homo Digitalis in an interview with Inside.story and journalist Eleftheria Tsaliki on the illegal transfer of personal data of a large number of Greeks living abroad in the hands of the MEP Anna Michelle Asimakopoulou and the relevant political communication she made to them via email in the context of the upcoming European elections.
We are very grateful to the journalist for her interest in our actions. You can read the interview here.
We participated at DFF’s Annual Strategy Meeting (ASM24)
We participated at DFF’s Annual Strategy Meeting (ASM24)
Two weeks ago, Homo Digitalis’ President, Elpida Vamvaka, was in Berlin at Digital Freedom Fund’s Annual Strategy Meeting (ASM24). We are grateful for the chance to engage in enriching dialogue with such inspiring fellow digital rights defenders working to propel human rights forward!
The meeting’s goals were to share meaningful exchanges and updates on digital rights topics, explore new opportunities to organise and collaborate at the intersection of racial, social, economic and environmental justice, to centre care, to safeguard well-being and to build resilience.
The meeting featured peer-driven highlights from DFF’s network, discussions mapping the 2024 landscape and beyond on digital rights issues, knowledge and skill sharing sessions, and a powerful panel on war crimes & digital rights. Stay tuned for the video coming soon!
Topics ranged from queer & trans*, labour, disability, environmental, welfare, prisoners’, children’s and migrants’ rights, to spyware, surveillance, digital policing, platform accountability, movement lawyering, organising for digital justice, and many more.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the organizers for inviting us, as well as to all individual participants and represented organisations for making this year’s Annual Strategy Meeting a success.