Civil Society Calls on EU to Stop Europol-Egypt Agreement
Civil society is raising the alarm over a proposed agreement between Europol and Egypt. A coalition of 41 organisations and experts, including European Digital Rights (EDRi), has sent an open letter to the European Commission urging it to halt these negotiations.
If signed, the agreement risks legitimising illegal practices by Egyptian police and could pave the way for deeper cooperation with Egyptian authorities, including the harmful sharing of personal data.
This agreement is part of the EU’s broader strategy for police and judicial cooperation, border control, and migration in the Mediterranean region. However, such actions conflict with the EU’s fundamental rights standards. Egypt, which holds an estimated 60,000 political prisoners, has been flagged by the UN for systemic torture and ill-treatment of political opponents and government critics.
We call on the European Commission to:
–Halt the agreement,
–Ensure transparency on human rights and data protection assessments,
–Demand reforms in Egypt to uphold human rights, civil liberties, justice, and democracy.
Read and share the full open letter here.
Statements from our President, Elpida Vamvaka, at the 13th e-Business & Digital Marketing World 2024
The President of Homo Digitalis, Elpida Vamvaka, represented us with a speech at the 13th e-Business & Digital Marketing World 2024, with the central theme: “From WOW to HOW: e-commerce and digital marketing in the AI era!”, which was organized by SmartPress S.A. in December 2024.
Both her speech during the panel she participated in and the statements she gave to the organizers after the conference are now available.
You can view her statements here. You can view her speech and the panel she participated in (04:11:00) here.
The Award-Winning Cartoon Series Super-Cyber Kids Now Has Subtitles
The award-winning cartoon series Super-Cyber Kids, a production by ISC2 Hellenic Chapter, ICSI HELLAS S.A., and Homo Digitalis, with the support of ADACOM Cyber Security, Eurolife FFH, bora, and RESET CONSULTANTS, is now available with Greek subtitles! A big thank you to the amazing Panagiotis Soulos for this significant volunteer initiative!
- How can excessive use of social media negatively impact children’s performance in school or sports?
- Are there risks of personal data leaks and password theft when connecting to third-party WiFi networks?
- How do incidents of cyberbullying occur?
- What connection might cybersecurity have with the evolution of a war like the Trojan War?
- How can a teenage team win a soccer match by spying on their opponents’ social media?
Answers to all these questions and much more are provided in the five episodes of the series, available for free on our YouTube channels here.
Homo Digitalis Collaborates Once Again with the Digital World Summit Greece
We are delighted to announce that, for yet another year, the Digital World Summit Greece (DWS Greece) and Homo Digitalis are moving forward with a strategic partnership!
The Digital World Summit Greece (DWS Greece) aims to promote the democratic governance of new technologies. As a dialogue platform, it brings together diverse stakeholders and groups, shaping policies from the grassroots level to the top on issues related to artificial intelligence, platforms, the Internet of Things, and broader technological domains.
Homo Digitalis has actively supported DWS Greece since its inception, and it is a great honor for us to continue doing so dynamically. Together, we aim to contribute to the maturation of public discourse in Greece on issues related to digital rights.
You can learn more about the activities of the Digital World Summit Greece on their website, here.
2024 Article Review – Thank You!
We proudly look back on the past year and the 17 articles we shared with you in 2024, highlighting a variety of topics such as Artificial Intelligence, European Elections, Disinformation, Cybersecurity, GDPR, Climate Change, and the DMA!
A heartfelt thank you to our member-authors: Anastasios Arampatzis, Ioannis Vasilakis, Nikoletta Georgakopoulou, Charalampos Daftsios, christos zanganas, Dimos Kostoulas, Katerina Mezini, Anna Bougia, Avgi Saoulidou, Danai Skevi και Stavroula Chousou!
You can watch a short video we prepared about this here.
Bidding Farewell to 2024 with Pride, Joy, and Endless Gratitude
This year has been filled with significant milestones and successes for Homo Digitalis. Together, we achieved:
Organizing, for the first time in Greece, the General Assembly of European Digital Rights—our network, which is a landmark for the protection of digital rights globally!
Strengthening our team with the hiring of our second employee, enhancing our capacity to drive meaningful change.
Publishing three detailed studies on #AIACT, contributing to the cultivation of an informed public dialogue in Greece.
Volunteering to speak at over 25 schools and engaging with more than 3,500 students, teachers, and parents from every corner of the country.
Promoting transparency and accountability, leading to the imposition of a €175,000 fine on the Ministry of Migration & Asylum for the KENTAUROS and HYPERION systems.
These moments remind us of what we can achieve when we work with vision, passion, and collaboration. We wholeheartedly thank all those who stood by our side—volunteers, partners, and supporters.
Let’s continue making history in 2025!
You can watch the related video we prepared here.
We Successfully Completed Our Voluntary Awareness Actions in 10 Schools Across Attica for the Period October–December 2024!
During this school year, from October 2024 to December 2024, Homo Digitalis focused its voluntary awareness efforts on schools in Athens!
With the invaluable support of Education Consultant Ms. Christina Kalfoglou, Psychologist Ms. Elina Kardara, and School Consultant Ms. Maria Panta, we visited 10 schools (public and private junior and high schools) and conducted 16 presentations for approximately 1,400 students, educators, and parents on the topics digital footprint and cyberbullying.
We learned a great deal about the apps children use and the risks they face on various social media platforms. We also discussed the challenges they encounter when trying to report issues on these platforms, often without resolving their problems!
Students shared incidents of cyberbullying and online violence with us, and we talked about ways to address and support them. Educators, on the other hand, expressed their concerns and raised thought-provoking questions regarding the use of mobile phones and artificial intelligence tools in schools.
Yesterday, we concluded our awareness actions for the first trimester of the 2024–2025 school year with an informational event at the 59th Junior High School of Athens, where we spoke with teachers and members of the parents association and teachers about the digital footprint, new digital risks such as deepfakes, misinformation, disinformation, and echo chambers, as well as the Kids Wallet initiative proposed by the Ministry of Digital Governance!
A big thank you to our members, board members, and employees: Sofia Antonopoulou, Niki Georgakopoulou, Lamprini Gyftokosta, and Konstantinos Kakavoulis for their active participation and outstanding contribution to these initiatives!
Together, we are building a safer and more informed digital community!
Homo Digitalis participated in AI Office’s consultation on Prohibited Practices under the AI Act
In November 2024, the European Commission’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Office launched a consultation on AI Act prohibitions and AI system definition.
The guidelines under development will help national competent authorities as well as providers and deployers in complying with the AI Act’s rules on such AI practices ahead of the application of the relevant provisions on 2 February 2025.
Homo Digitalis participated in this public consultation process by submitting our input, in an attempt to highlight challenges and provide further clarity on practical aspects and use cases.
The authors’ team of our public consultation is composed of our Director on Human Rights & Artificial Intelligence, Lamprini Gyftokosta and our members Sophia Antonopoulou and Stavrina Chousou.
You can read our input here.
Stay tuned, since our dedicated report on the AI Act and its provisions on Prohibited Practices is to be published soon!
The fifth open call of NGI TALER is here! Submit your application!
Got a groundbreaking idea for free software and privacy preserving projects that complement our mission as NGI TALER? Missed our first four funding calls? No worries!
NGI TALER’s 5th Open Call is live since 1st of December 2024 and you’ve got almost two month to apply. The deadline is 1st of February 2025, 12:00 CET (noon).
We’re on the lookout for proposals that will revolutionize digital payment systems and contribute to an open, trustworthy, and reliable internet for all.
NGI TALER is offering funding between 5,000 and 50,000 euros! Whether you’re a SME, academic, public sector entity, nonprofit, community, or an individual – we want your innovative ideas!
For example, you can enhance GNU Taler by developing auxiliary tools, improving user experience,creating integrations into FOSS applications (think P2P micropayments in instant messaging, social media platforms, or video conferencing tools), or boosting infrastructure components (like merchant backends), to name a few ideas.
For more info about this and other NGI funding calls, you can visit the NGI – The Next Generation Internet’s website here.
You can read the detailed Open Call, Guide for Applicants, Eligibility Requirements, and FAQs on NLnet Foundation’s website here
Last but not least, you can join our TALER Integration Community Hub (TALER ICH) to discuss and get your questions answered here.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!
NGI TALER is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.