We submitted a FOIA before the Greek Ministry of Education for its Memorandum of Cooperation with OpenAI
At Homo Digitalis, we support the innovations brought by new technologies and believe that they can significantly contribute to the improvement of our society, provided that their use complies with the applicable legal framework and aims to promote and protect our rights and freedoms. We envision a better world, where the adoption of technological solutions is the result of critical thinking as well as informed and balanced decision-making.
In this light, we were concerned by the signing, on Friday, September 5, of the “OpenAI for Greece” Memorandum of Cooperation by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports with OpenAI and other stakeholders, for the pilot use of the ChatGPT Edu tool by teachers and students in 20 high schools across the country.
How will teachers and students feel when asked to use tools provided by a company such as OpenAI, which has already been fined €15 million for violations of data protection legislation in Italy and is currently under investigation for possible violations in other countries, such as Austria?
And on what grounds are Artificial Intelligence systems based on proprietary software from US tech giants being prioritized over equivalent tools that could be developed with free and open-source software by research centers and institutions in Greece? Such a choice disregards the European Union’s strategy to strengthen openness, transparency, and technological sovereignty, and, in the case of widespread adoption, will inevitably lead to the dependency of our education system on proprietary software and foreign companies.
In light of the above, today we submitted (protocol number 108260/8/92025) before the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports a request for access to documents and information, in which we set out our concerns in detail and request access both to the Memorandum of Cooperation and to other related legal deliverables that should have been drawn up regarding the obligations arising from Law 4624/2019 and Law 4961/2022.
You can see our request here (EL).
Homo Digitalis is featured in Adessium's Annual Report for 2024
Adessium supports the European AI & Society Fund (EAISF), a pooled fund dedicated to achieving responsible AI policies and applications. The fund works on legislation for artificial intelligence, monitors its social impact and reports potential risks, such as unjust consequences for citizens and environmental damage due to technology.
In this context, Homo Digitalis alongside European Digital Rights were featured in the 2024 Annual Report, highlighting our key achievements and ongoing work made possible through the support of EAISF. The report includes quotes from Claire Fernandez and Eleftherios Chelioudakis.
We warmly thank EAISF and Adessium for the opportunity to showcase our impactful work in the field of border management and law enforcement, as well as for their continuous support in safeguarding human rights in the digital age!
Read their full annual report and the important work they support here.
We spoke to POLITICO about our work in the field of Artificial Intelligence
Homo Digitalis spoke to Ellen O’Regan and POLITICO Europe for our actions in the field of border management next to prominent academics (Niovi Vavoula & Derya Ozkul), civil society organisations (European Digital Rights, Chloé Berthélémy Border Violence Monitoring Network, Pauline Fritz and Equinox: Racial Justice Initiative, Sarah Chander), EU Bodies & Agencies (European Commission, Europol, Claire Georges, Frontex) and the hashtagHellenic hashtagDPA!
Our Executive Director Eleftherios Chelioudakis, LL.M, M.Sc, represented us in this interview.
According to the article, the Hellenic DPA “wants to wrap up two long-running investigations this September, one into the Greek police’s use of portable face and fingerprint scanning tools, and another into the Greek coast guard’s adoption of social media monitoring software.” We are glad to hear that important progress has been made in these two cases initiated by Homo Digitalis and its allies, researcher Phoebus Simeonidis (omniatv), HIAS Greece, Hellenic League for Human Rights, and Privacy International.
Many thanks to the journalist for her interest in our work! Read the full article here.
Homo Digitalis contributes to two EU consultations on the Data Strategy and high-risk AI systems
Last Friday, July 18th, Homo Digitalis submitted detailed input to two public consultations launched by the European Commission.
The first consultation focused on collecting targeted input from stakeholders regarding the implementation of the AI Act (2024/1689) rules for high-risk AI systems. According to Article 6(5) of the AI Act, the Commission must publish guidelines on the practical implementation of the high-risk classification rules by February 2, 2026, accompanied by a list of practical examples of both high-risk and non-high-risk AI systems. Additionally, Article 96(1)(a) requires the Commission to provide guidelines on the application of obligations and responsibilities for high-risk AI systems, including those across the AI value chain, as defined in Article 25. In its submission, Homo Digitalis provided practical examples of AI systems from Greece and other countries, and highlighted key issues that should be clarified in both the classification and compliance guidelines.
The second consultation addressed the EU Data Strategy. Its three goals are to: 1) boost investment in data technologies and promote data sharing through voluntary or funded initiatives; 2) streamline existing rules and develop data tools to reduce administrative burdens; and 3) shape an international data strategy that ensures safeguards for data transfers outside the EU and encourages data inflows into the EU.
In its response, Homo Digitalis raised strong concerns about potential undermining of personal data protection under the pretext of simplification, flexibility, and competitiveness. The organisation reaffirmed its position that fundamental rights must be strengthened through the use of new technologies and rejected the framing of existing legal frameworks as a barrier to innovation. According to Homo Digitalis, the challenges lie primarily in the lack of enforcement and resources, not the laws themselves.
You can read our full submission for the first consultation here.
We thank the drafting team, Stavrina Chousou, Niki Georgakopoulou, Sofia Antonopoulou, and Eleftherios Chelioudakis, for their valuable contributions.
You can read our full submission for the second consultation here, edited by our Executive Director, Eleftherios Chelioudakis.
Homo Digitalis Participates in the 1st Consultation Forum of the Ministry of Digital Governance on the AI Act
On July 2, 2025, Homo Digitalis participated in the 1st Consultation Forum titled: “The Implementation of the AI Act in Greece”, organized by the Ministry of Digital Governance and Expertise France.
The event was held in the context of the TSI Technical Support action “Integrating AI Technologies in the Greek Public Administration”, funded by the European Commission (SG REFORM). Its aim was for the Ministry to gather valuable information, exchange views with stakeholders, explore best practices, challenges, and prospects, and present its proposal for the implementation of the AI Act and AI governance in the country.
Homo Digitalis was invited to participate in the roundtable discussion of the thematic session “Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector”, which focused on the challenges and opportunities of implementing AI systems by public sector entities in Greece.
During the event, we submitted our written views on the questions raised in the thematic session to the Ministry, distributed copies of our statements to relevant decision-making bodies, and presented them orally as part of our contribution during the roundtable discussion.
We sincerely thank the organizers and speakers of the event for including us and giving us the opportunity to share our positions! Homo Digitalis was represented by Eleftherios Chelioudakis, Co-founder and Executive Director of Homo Digitalis, who also is the editor our statements.
You can view our written positions here (in EL).
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:
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Lilian Mitrou, Professor at the University of the Aegean, President of the Institute for Privacy Law, Personal Data and Technology
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Ioannis Angelou, Administrative Court Judge, PhD
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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!
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.