Read the Pocket Guide on Protecting Your Privacy During Protests
Today, Friday, February 28, marks two years since the Tempi train tragedy. Strikes and work stoppages have been organized across Greece and abroad to honor the memory of the 57 victims, demand justice, and hold those responsible accountable.
But what about your devices and personal data? How can you take steps to protect them during a protest?
Homo Digitalis, in collaboration with Software Makers, a nonprofit organization based in Heraklion, Crete, has translated and adapted the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Pocket Guide to Greek legal and practical realities. The guide provides essential steps to take before, during, and after a protest to help you safeguard both yourself and your data.
We stand in solidarity and offer our unwavering support!
The guide is available for download and printing here.
Homo Digitalis is participating in the online informational event organized by Project Parenting
Are screens bad, or are we just using them wrong?
Homo Digitalis is honored to participate once again in the digital conference organized by Project Parenting, dedicated to parents. The event takes place today, Wednesday, February 26, from 17:30 to 22:30!
At 21:40, Lamprini Gyftokosta will represent our team, speaking on the topic: “Cookies and Parental Controls: Filter the information you and your child share to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.”
Registrations are free, and you can still sign up to attend a series of insightful talks by experts on various important topics.
We co-sign an CSO Open Letter on the proposed GDPR Procedural Regulation
As the trilateral negotiations at the EU level continue regarding the proposed regulation on additional procedural rules for the enforcement of the GDPR, we, together with European Digital Rights and 34 other Civil Society organizations, join our voices in an open letter to lawmakers!
We urge them to prioritize strong enforcement mechanisms that ensure individuals can effectively exercise their rights while highlighting the systemic weaknesses in the enforcement of GDPR provisions.
Read the open letter here.
The Protect Not Surveil coalition publishes its report on the Europol Regulation
Today, the #ProtectNotSurveil coalition, in which Homo Digitalis serves as a member, launches its report on the Europol Regulation and calls for the full rejection of the European Commission’s proposal.
The Europol Regulation inadvertently supports the business model of smugglers while criminalising migration.
Crucially, the Europol Regulation:
- expands Europol’s surveillance capacity beyond its mandate under the pretext of fighting ‘migrant smuggling’, giving Europol new powers “in relation to all crimes for which it is competent”;
- The EDPS has already raised concerns that the file poses significant risks to the data and privacy rights of migrants, allowing mass data collection and sharing between Member States and EU agencies with known human rights violations (Frontex), as well as third countries without any legal basis for data sharing with the EU;
- The proposal is unsafe and unsubstantiated, presented without a proper impact assessment and based on false claims that smugglers pose the greatest threat to the safety of migrants (UN report);
- Millions in EU public funds will be wasted on Europol’s new activities for a false solution to migration management that simply will not work.
A summary of our position was also published in EUobserver. The full report is available here.
4 million euros were spent by the Greek Police to issue fines related to violations of the Road Traffic Code
Back in 2019, we started one of our first actions in the field of artificial intelligence by bringing to light the Smart Policing program of the Greek Police in collaboration with Intracom-Telecom.
The purpose of this project? The purchase of 1,000 portable devices that would enable functions like facial recognition, fingerprint scanning, document identification, and license plate recognition in urban centers during police checks.
We acted promptly and, in March 2020, requested the Data Protection Authority to investigate the matter, as, according to our legal analysis, processing biometric data in the context of using these devices would not be legal.
Since August 2020, the Authority has been investigating the case. The State paid the 4 million euros, and the company delivered the devices to the Hellenic Police. The latest development was in October 2024, when the Hellenic Police decided, starting from the first quarter of 2025, to use the document/license plate recognition functions of the devices to issue fines for violations of the Road Traffic Code.
We are glad that our swift action and the investigation by the Data Protection Authority froze the use of the invasive facial recognition and fingerprint scanning functions of these devices. However, the relevant decision by the Authority must be published immediately.
The 4.5 years of investigation by the Data Protection Authority also reveal that the state must support the Data Protection Authority, as the high level of expertise of its inspectors is not enough, and more human and financial resources are needed. And all this without considering the increased workload expected in the coming years with the AI Act.
You can read more about this in our latest study on the AI Act, pages 51-54 here.
Homo Digitalis wore the vest of love participating in the "Seller for an Hour" action of the street magazine "Shedia
On Wednesday, February 5th, Homo Digitalis had the great honor of wearing the vest of love, participating in the awareness-raising action of the street magazine “Shedia.”
At the end of the “Seller for an Hour” action, we would like to extend a big thank you to all the people of Shedia, with whom we had the opportunity to learn about their important initiatives, and to jointly send a message against social exclusion and in favor of solidarity.
You can learn more about the important work and the people of the Shedia magazine here.
Interview of Our President at Women in Digital
Elpida Vamvaká, President of Homo Digitalis and General Legal Counsel at Papaki, spoke to Women in Digital about the need to protect digital rights in Greece, the importance of technology that places people at the center, and the ways in which artificial intelligence can operate responsibly and ethically.
With a focus on the challenges of cybersecurity, the importance of education, and the promotion of gender equality in the tech field, Elpida highlights her vision for a fair, sustainable, and inclusive digital society in her interview. You can read her interview here.
Women In Digital is the editorial and conference initiative of Smarpress. The foundation was laid with the first Women In Digital conference on 8/3/21, where 40 prominent “strong women” from Technology, IT, Startups, and Digital Marketing took the stage. Readers can follow the content through the monthly newsletter or the dedicated website. WID draws its topics from the work of women, both Greek and international, who are active in the STEM sector or apply their digital skills in more traditional fields.
We sign a common CSO statement for the AI Summit on the protection of environment
Ahead of the AI Action Summit in France, 100+ civil society organisations from around the world have an urgent message for governments and industry leaders: The environmental and human costs of AI are too high – we need action now.
Our 5 key demands:
-Phase out fossil fuels
-Bring computing within limits
-Ensure responsible supply chains
-Enable equitable participation
-Advance meaningful transparency It’s time for AI to be sustainable, just, and accountable.
You can read our full demands here.
You can co-sign our common statement here.
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority Investigates DeepSeek
In a letter addressed to Homo Digitalis on February 5, following our January 30, 2025 request, the Audit and Security Department and the rapporteur auditor, Ms. F. Karvela, informed us that the Authority “has already initiated an ex officio investigation into the companies Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. and Beijing DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd., in accordance with the provisions of Articles 57(1)(a), 58(1)(b) of the GDPR and Articles 13(1)(h) and 15(1) of Law 4624/2019.”
We eagerly await further information regarding the HDPA’s ex officio investigation, the progress of the procedure, and any developments in this case in the near future.