The Secretary of the Board of Directors, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, represented Homo Digitalis at the Plenary Session of the Artificial Intelligence Committee of the Council of Europe, CAI.

Specifically, on 21-23/9 we were in Strasbourg to participate in the negotiations for the adoption of a treaty on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law! Homo Digitalis has been participating in relevant meetings of this committee since the first day of its establishment, and of course was also present in meetings of the previous Council of Europe committee on related issues, CAHAI, already in the summer of 2020.

You can find out more about the Council of Europe’s AI Committee here.

The Secretary of the Board, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, represented Homo in two very important meetings in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Specifically, on 15-17/9 we were present at the Colour Of Surveillance conference organized by the organizations European Digital Rights, Digital Freedom Fund, Bits of Freedom & Controle Alt Delete, as well as at the expert meeting organized by the Justice, Equity & Technology (JET) Table of The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to discuss issues related to surveillance and policing of vulnerable social groups!

You can find out more about the Colour Of Surveillance conference here.

You can read more about The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Justice, Equity & Technology (JET) Table and Homo Digitalis’ involvement in it from early 2021 here.

Our member Anastasios Arampatzis participated in a Share Foundation survey on the legal framework in Greece regarding sexual abuse through images.

The Greek legal order, like many neighbouring countries, does not include a comprehensive and clear provision practically protecting survivors of image-based sexual abuse (#imagebasedsexualabuse).

The lack of a directly regulated framework defining and prosecuting the crime as a stand-alone crime as well as #advocacy methods are explored in the comparative study in South Eastern Europe recently published by the SHARE Foundation. The latest development in the Greek reality (Article 346 CC), despite its positive aspect, again includes the crime in a series of offences such as forgery, intensifying the need for an autonomous regulation.

You can read the relevant report and find out about the two countries that recognise sexual abuse through images as a separate criminal offence here.

Last week our members Asimina Koliniati and Manolis Kampitakis (the latter being a member of the Chaos Computer Club) participated in the Freedom not Fear 2022 Conference, which after 2 virtual events returned to Brussels!

The annual conference is organized by Digitalcourage and is a meeting point for many organizations fighting for the protection of our digital rights in Europe. After two days full of workshops around the proposed European legislation on AI, ChatControl, TechAbuse, gender-based violence online and biometric monitoring of migrants, we visited the European Parliament and discussed with MEPs about the issues that concern us.

We would like to thank MEPs Saskia Bricmont, Patrick Breyer and Cornelia Ernst for their hospitality and interesting discussion.

Many congratulations also to Digitalcourage for organizing the event that every year takes the protection of digital rights one step forward!

Our member Christos Zanganas will represent us on Monday 12/9 in the discussion on “Social media, digital platforms: Myths and Realities”.

The event will take place in the outdoor area of the Mimis Vassilopoulos Municipal Children’s Library of Halandri and is organized by the “ARGO” Association.

Speakers:

– Angelos Seriatos, PhD in Political Science, Head of Political Research of Prorata.

– Charis Papaevangelou, PhD, University of Toulouse III, researcher of online platforms & new media.

We would like to thank Mr. Stefanos Kampas, President of the “ARGO” Association, for the honorary invitation!

The denunciation of Nikos Androulakis and his targeting by Predator spyware at the end of July brought the case of surveillance and eavesdropping to the forefront, testing the quality of the country’s democratic institutions.

Homo Digitalis member Anastasios Arampatzis, talks to Eleni Koliopoulou of the French News Agency and comments on the use of this spyware.

You can read the article here. We would like to thank the journalist for her interest in our actions.

The Secretary of the Board of Directors, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, represented us at the international KotorArt festival that took place in Montenegro, participating in a panel on the use of artificial intelligence technologies by public authorities.

Specifically, we focused our presentation on the use of the YPERION and KENTYROS monitoring systems in asylum seekers’ accommodation facilities, informing the audience about our relevant actions and the investigation launched by the Data Protection Authority (DPA) as a follow-up.

During the same period, we also participated in a summer university on digital rights held in Perast, Montenegro, organised by the SHARE Foundation with the participation of numerous organisations from Balkan countries, as well as important actors from the wider region.

We would like to thank the organizers from SHARE Foundation for the invitation and hospitality. You can read more about the event here.

On 9 June 2022, Homo Digitalis submitted its comments to the competent authorities in the context of the public consultation on the National Road Safety Plan 2030.

With its submission, Homo Digitalis focuses both on personal data issues arising in the context of the application of new technologies for ensuring Road Safety, such as surveillance cameras, telematics, special sensors, and social media, and on issues related to the use of AI technologies, such as machine learning systems to transform data into useful indicators for the Road Safety sector.

We would like to thank the team of Homo Digitalis members for their voluntary contribution in writing and submitting these comments. The editorial team was composed of the following members: Kalliopi Terzidou, Claire Grammenou, Emilia Givropoulou, Ioannis Krontiris, and Fotini Bajemaa.

You can view the full text of Homo Digitalis’ comments in PDF format here.

You can view our comments as posted on the official website of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport here.

The European Data Protection Board has published an article on the €20 million fine imposed by the Greek DPA against CLEARVIEW AI following Homo Digitalis’ successful action. We note that this action is part of a wider strategic action jointly with Privacy International, noyb and Hermes Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights in Italy, Greece, UK, France and Austria.

You can read the European Data Protection Board’s feature here.