Homo Digitalis spoke at the 2nd International Conference of ATI dedicated to Democracy and Social Justice.
Homo Digitalis participated in the 2nd International Conference of the Alexis Tsipras Institute
Konstantinos Kakavoulis joined academics, professionals, politicians, and activists from Greece, the European Union, and the United States. He spoke about the need to strengthen the protection of digital rights in modern democracies, on a panel that attracted great interest. Among the distinguished speakers at the event were Bernie Sanders, Michael Sandel, Jeffrey Kopstein, and many others. The speech is available at the link here.
We warmly thank the organizers for the invitation and for the excellent discussions we had during the event!
Joint Declaration for the Creation of a Human Rights Protection Network in the Development & Use of AI Systems – GAIN
We are proud to announce the official launch of a collaborative and inclusive network, committed to the protection and promotion of Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law in the development and use of Artificial Intelligence systems in Greece.
The network was born out of a multi-stakeholder dialogue initiated during the February 2025 event organized by Homo Digitalis, in light of the implementation of the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation (Regulation 2024/1689).
The text of the Declaration is available here.
The mission of the network is to serve as a space for collaboration, advocacy, legal interventions, and public awareness, ensuring that AI systems in Greece comply with fundamental rights and democratic values, as enshrined in the Greek Constitution, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights.
The working title of the network is Greek Artificial Intelligence Network – GAIN. The founding conference, which will take place within three (3) months, will determine the network’s governance framework, guiding principles, and future direction.
The initiative is coordinated by Homo Digitalis, with the support of the European Artificial Intelligence & Society Fund (EAISF), and is open to any interested organization.
If you are interested, you can fill in the participation form here.
Founding organizations of the network (in alphabetical order):
Ανοιχτό Εργαστήριο Αθήνα | Open Lab Athens
Δίκτυο για τα Δικαιώματα του Παιδιού | Network for Children’s Rights
Ε.Κ.ΠΟΙ.ΖΩ.Ένωση Καταναλωτών «Η Ποιότητα της Ζωής» | Consumers’ Association “The Quality of Life” EKPIZO
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΕΣ | GREEK COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES
Οργανισμός Ανοιχτών Τεχνολογιών – ΕΕΛΛΑΚ | Open Technologies Alliance (GFOSS)
ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΡΙΟ ΑΣΤΥΝΟΜΕΥΣΗΣ copwatch.gr
DATAWO
HIAS Greece
Homo Digitalis
I Have Rights
KnowledgeRights21 (National coordinator for Greece and Cyprus)
OmniaTV (iCase Κοιν.Σ.Επ.)
Reporters United
Solomon
Vouliwatch
WHEN Equity Empowerment Change
WWF Greece
Homo Digitalis successfully completed its presentation at a conference of the Ministry of Justice & the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens on Artificial Intelligence
On Monday, June 16, 2025, the Ministry of Justice hosted a conference on “Artificial Intelligence in Justice”!
In the third discussion panel titled “Limitations and Risks”, Homo Digitalis was represented by Stefanos Vitoratos, Co-founder of Homo Digitalis and Partner at Digital Law Experts (DLE).
The discussion was moderated by Sophia Papadimitriou, with speakers:
Lilian Mitrou, Professor at the University of the Aegean, President of the Institute for Privacy Law, Personal Data and Technology
Ioannis Angelou, Administrative Court Judge, PhD
Aris Dimitriadis, Member of the Ethics Committee of the AI Catalyst Group, Executive Director of Regulatory Compliance and Corporate Risk Management at OTE Group
The conference was organized by the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens, with the support of the AI Catalyst Group!
We spoke to the newspaper Kathimerini about the use of drones by municipalities
The municipalities of Kifisia, Agia Paraskevi, and Aigaleo have decided to deploy drones in order to protect municipal property from vandalism and to address juvenile delinquency.
In an article by journalist Alexia Kalaitzi for the newspaper Kathimerini, published in early June, Homo Digitalis provided relevant statements!
Is the use of drones by a local authority for the purpose of tackling delinquency lawful? Are citizens’ personal data protected when drones fly—sometimes in ways that may make their presence imperceptible—in public spaces, that is, in more than 150 points of interest, covering every neighborhood or even outside residents’ balconies?
Read more here.
We warmly thank the journalist for her interest in our work! Statements on behalf of Homo Digitalis were provided by our Executive Director, Eleftherios Chelioudakis.
We call the Greek DPA to temporarily block the inclusion of the Personal Number on new ID cards until the necessary risk mitigation measures are implemented!
Since June, the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.) has been issuing ID cards that display the Personal Number (P.A). for citizens who already have one. As of tomorrow, June 28, 2025, it will no longer issue an ID card to any citizen who is eligible for a P.A. but has not yet completed the required issuance process.
In its Opinion 1/2025, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) states that displaying the P.A. on ID cards poses risks and must therefore be accompanied by specific mitigation measures.
However, despite the fact that the Greek State proposed certain measures to the HDPA, which were approved as appropriate, it has failed to implement them, thereby exposing citizens to severe risks of identity theft.
For example, one of the proposed measures was the adoption of legal provisions prohibiting private entities from keeping photocopies of ID cards. This legislative step must be paired with coordinated and intensive public awareness campaigns to ensure that citizens know they should not allow copies of their physical ID to be retained.
At the end of its analysis, the HDPA concludes that, since the risks associated with including the P.A. on ID cards remain, once a sufficient period has passed during which mitigation measures are applied and public authorities are equipped with the necessary tools for digital reading of the P.A., the display will no longer be necessary and the obligation to display the P.A. on the ID card should be lifted.
For these reasons, on Friday, June 20, we submitted a formal request (Ref. No. Γ/ΕΙΣ/5621/20-06-2025), urging the HDPA to exercise its powers under Article 58(2)(f) of the GDPR, and impose a temporary restriction on processing, by prohibiting the display of the P.A. on ID cards until the essential mitigation measures are properly in place to address the significant risks arising from this practice.
Our request is available here (only in EL).
Homo Digitalis participates in 2 thematic workshops of the City of Athens OGP Local
On May 18, at Serafio, Homo Digitalis had the great pleasure of taking part in two thematic workshops organized by the City of Athens OGP (Open Government Partnership) Local Working Group. The workshops focused on Universal Accessibility in Physical and Digital Spaces and Transparency, Accountability, and Participatory Budgeting.
Through a shared methodology of gathering proposals, clustering ideas, and voting, under the coordination of Alexandros Melidis, General Director of the Greek Free Open Source Software Society, we had the opportunity to discuss and jointly decide on a series of particularly interesting proposals.
Our organization was represented in the two thematic discussions by Lamprini Gyftokosta and Eleftherios Chelioudakis, respectively.
We warmly thank the members of the Working Group responsible for designing and implementing the action plan for the City of Athens’ participation in OGP Local, for their kind invitation and excellent collaboration — including Ioannis Fytros, Angelos Kaskanis, and Stefanos Loukopoulos.
Schools in Messinia at the Heart of Digital Awareness
From March 31 to May 7, the NGO Homo Digitalis visited 11 primary and secondary schools across Messinia, bringing education and awareness on internet safety closer to students.
During the workshops held in Arfara, Dorio, Eva, Thouria, Kalamata, Kyparissia, Pylos, Filiatra, Finikounda, and Chora, a total of 554 students engaged with key issues of the digital world, such as: cyberbullying, online safety, recognition and understanding of deepfakes, and responsible use of social media.
Raising awareness and informing both children and adults is a vital step toward a safe and healthy experience in the digital space.
The initiative was supported by the “Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos” Foundation and it will continue with new sessions from September to December 2025.
If your school is located in Messinia and would like to host these free educational sessions, please contact the Homo Digitalis team at info@homodigitalis.gr.
Homo Digitalis meets with the Greek Ombudsman
he Greek Ombudsman welcomed the non-profit organization Homo Digitalis to his offices on June 26, 2025, for a meeting on issues related to digital rights and artificial intelligence. Among other topics, the discussion addressed the role of the Ombudsman under the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act, following his designation as one of the fundamental rights authorities under Article 77 of the Regulation.
We warmly thank the Honorable Greek Ombudsman, Mr. Andreas Pottakis, for his time and availability.
Participating in the meeting was Homo Digitalis Co-founder and Executive Director Eleftherios Chelioudakis.
We sent an open letter to the EU calling for a reassessment of Israel’s adequacy decision under the GDPR
Together with European Digital Rights, Access Now, and 16 other civil society organizations, we submitted a second open letter to the European Commission, urging it to urgently reassess Israel’s adequacy status under the GDPR.
Since the Commission reconfirmed Israel’s status in January 2024, the situation has only deteriorated:
Escalating human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank
Expansion of surveillance systems and biometric repression
Legal reforms undermining oversight of personal data processing
Ongoing data flows to Israeli companies with ties to security services
Use of AI-driven targeting systems in a context where the International Court of Justice has found plausible genocide
Application of Israeli law to occupied territories, in breach of the EU’s own policy
This is not just about technical compliance. It is about whether the EU’s data protection framework can credibly uphold fundamental rights, and whether data originating in the EU is being used to facilitate unlawful practices.
Read the letter here.