The President of Homo Digitalis, Elpida Vamvaka, is Invited to WEF at DAVOS: Recognition on a Global Stage
We are thrilled to announce that Homo Digitalis has been invited to participate in an esteemed panel discussion at DAVOS, organized by the Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND) of the State Secretariat for International Finance and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN in Geneva in the context of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Event Details:
Topic: Doing More with Less: How to Address Growing Needs in Times of Economic Uncertainty
Date & Time: Tuesday, January 21, 2025 | 17:00-18:30
Location: Crystal Lounge, Davos
Our President, Elpida Vamvaka, will join a distinguished panel of global leaders to discuss how emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) can empower governments and organizations to address critical global challenges in times of economic uncertainty. Specifically, in the panel hosting our President, Elpida Vamvaka will be also speaking:
– Christoph König, Deputy State Secretary, State Secretariat for International Finance
– Kelly Clements, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees
– Morten Bech, Centre Head Switzerland, Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub
The moderator of the panel will be Eva Selamlar, Head of Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND)
While we celebrate this global recognition, it underscores the need for similar trust and acknowledgment at the national level in Greece. Strengthening Greece’s commitment to technological innovation and policy foresight will pave the way for meaningful change.
You can find more details about the event here.
Let’s make human rights-oriented innovation the cornerstone of a brighter and more resilient future – for Greece and the world.
Eleftherios Chelioudakis of Homo Digitalis as a Trainer in the 3rd OSCE ODIHR Training on Personal Data & Border Management
From December 4 to 6, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, our Co-founder and Executive Director, participated as a trainer in the third training session organized by the international organization OSCE, specifically its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw. The training explored the use of new technologies at international borders, as well as the risks and opportunities they pose for Human Rights.
In our five presentations, we focused on the technologies used at borders, the Human Rights impacted by these uses, the provisions of the GDPR and Directive 2016/680 LED, the significant decision by the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) regarding the “KENTAYROS” and “YPERION” systems, as well as technical tools that human rights defenders can use in their work!
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the participants for their dynamic presence, to the team of outstanding trainers Nikola Kovačević, Djordje Alempijevic, and Arancha Garcia del Soto for their knowledge and expertise, and to the organizing team, Lola Girard and Veronica Grazzi, for their impeccable organization and contributions. It is a great honor for us to participate!
You can learn more here.
Eleftherios Chelioudakis of Homo Digitalis as a Trainer in a second OSCE ODIHR Training on Personal Data & Border Management
From October 29 to 31, Eleftherios Chelioudakis, our Co-founder and Executive Director, participated as a trainer in a training session organized by the international organization OSCE, specifically its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The training explored the use of new technologies at international borders, as well as the risks and opportunities they pose for Human Rights.
In our five presentations, we focused on the technologies used at borders, the Human Rights impacted by these uses, the provisions of the GDPR and Directive 2016/680 LED, the significant decision by the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) regarding the “KENTAYROS” and “YPERION” systems, as well as technical tools that human rights defenders can use in their work!
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the participants for their dynamic presence, to the team of outstanding trainers Nikola Kovačević, Djordje Alempijevic, and Arancha Garcia del Soto for their knowledge and expertise, and to the organizing team, Lola Girard and Veronica Grazzi, for their impeccable organization and contributions. It is a great honor for us to participate!
You can learn more here.
Statements by Homo Digitalis in Kathimerini on speech recording and online advertising
Journalist Giannis Papadopoulos in his article for Kathimerini newspaper discusses the recent revelations about the “Active Listening” function of the advertising company Cox Media Group.
Specifically, in a corporate presentation trying to promote this feature to its customers, Cox Media Group claimed that it could “eavesdrop” on conversations of users of mobile phones and other smart devices and with the help of artificial intelligence create targeted ads. The Company’s existing customer base includes major technology companies, including Facebook, Google and Amazon.
Lamprini Gyftokosta and Eleftherios Chelioudakis provided statements for Homo Digitalis to the reporter regarding both mobile phone settings and the challenges that arise in protecting the personal data and privacy of users through the dark patterns used by the tech giants.
We are very grateful to the journalist for his interest in our posts. You can read his article here.
In a related article-opinion hosted by Kathimerini newspaper and co-authored by Lillian Mitrou, Professor at the University of the Aegean and Vassilis Karkatzounis, PhD candidate at the University of the Aegean, important observations are provided regarding the challenges arising from the application of legislation in the complex environment of online advertising. You can read the article here.
Finally, we recall that as early as 2020, Homo Digitalis has already taken strategic legal action at the European level with our complaints against Google and IAB Europe in the context of their intrusive practices of targeted behavioural advertising. Our cases are pending before the Irish and Belgian authorities respectively and we expect decisions on these cases to be issued shortly. You can read more here.
Our very own Eleftherios Chelioudakis is now Executive Director at Homo Digitalis
Who said dreams don’t come true?
After more than 6 years in the role of co-founder and Secretary of the Board of Homo Digitalis, and his voluntary contribution to the organization’s activities, Eleftherios Chelioudakis takes on a new role, that of Executive Director of Homo Digitalis.
This is yet another big and important step for Homo Digitalis on the road to its sustainable development and the emergence of its strategic role in the protection of Human Rights in the modern digital era.
More info about his profile
Eleftherios is a lawyer with deep specialization in emerging technologies. For more than 8 years, he has been providing his expertise in research projects and legal cases involving personal data protection, privacy, intellectual property issues (copyright, trademarks, and industrial property), e-commerce, and cybersecurity.
With a dual academic background in legal studies and computer science, Eleftherios possesses interdisciplinary knowledge and practical expertise to successfully tackle complex challenges. He has worked with international law firms, foreign academic institutions, private companies, civil society organizations, European Union bodies, and international organizations.
Academic Background
- Advanced MSc in Digital Humanities, KU Leuven Computer Science Scool (Cum Laude), 2019
- LL.M in Law & Technology, Tilburg University Law School (valedictorian – Cum Laude), 2017,
- LL.B, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Law School (Very Well), 2014,
- Harvard Law School, CopyrightX, 2018,
- European University Institute and University of Pittsburgh Law School, Artificial Intelligence and Law, 2019
- University of Crete, Advanced Course on AI (ACAI) Summer School, AI for Multi-Agent World, With a scholarship from the European Association of AI (EurAI), 2019,
- University of Ferrara, Advanced Course on AI (ACAI) Summer School, Statistical Relational Artificial Intelligence (StarAI). 2018.
Languages
- Greek (mother tongue) και English (IELTS 8), German (B1), Chinese (HSK2)
Participation in Academic and Professional Networks – Associations
- Member of the Piraeus Bar Association (Lawyer at the Court of Appeals)
- Member-Observer of the Council of Europe Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI), representing Homo Digitalis
- Member of the AI for Sustainable Development Goals (AI4SDGs) Think Tank at the Center for Long-term Artificial Intelligence (CLAI)
- Member and Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), with certifications: Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPP/E), Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), and Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)
- Member of the International Association for Artificial Intelligence & Law
- Member of the Pool of Experts of the European Data Protection Board
- Member of the Data Protection Experts Network (EDEN) of Europol
- Member of the Internet Privacy Engineering Network (IPEN) of the European Data Protection Supervisor
- Member of the Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, and the Digital Welfare State Community of Practice at the Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice, New York University School of Law, representing Homo Digitalis
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Jean Monnet Chair in Mediterranean Digital Societies and Law at the Polytechnic University of Turin, representing Homo Digitalis
- Member of the Scientific Network-International Observatory on Vulnerable People in Data Protection (VULNERA) of Vrije Universiteit Brussel & the Future of Privacy Forum, representing Homo Digitalis
- Member of the Justice, Equity, and Technology (JET) Table at the London School of Economics and Political Science, representing Homo Digitalis
- Member of the External Advisory Board of the Horizon Europe Research Program EITHOS (European Identity Theft Observatory System)
- Member of the Working Group of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) on Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity (work concluded in 2020)
- Member of the External Advisory Board of the Horizon 2020 Research Program PopAI – A European Positive Sum Approach towards AI tools in support of Law Enforcement and safeguarding privacy and fundamental rights (work concluded in 2023).
Publications
- E.Chelioudakis, Unpacking AI-enabled border management technologies in Greece: To what extent their development and deployment are transparent and respect data protection rules, 2024, Computer Law & Security Review, Elsevier,
- F.Metcalfe, L. Dencick, E., Chelioudakis, B. van Eerd, Risking lives: Smart borders, private interests and AI policy in Europe, 2023, Cardiff: Data Justice Lab,
- E.Chelioudakis, Privatization of security, border management, and defense in the EU: does reliance on tech companies erode states’ sovereignty?, 2021, Migration, Security and Resistance 1st Edition, Taylor & Francis-Routledge,
- CEPS Task Force on AI & Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity CEPS Task Force Report Technology, Governance and Policy Challenges, 2021, Centre for European Policy Studies,
- E.Chelioudakis, Automated decision-making systems in the COVID-19 pandemic: a European perspective:Greece, 2020, AlgorithmWach
- E.Chelioudakis, Automating Society Report:Greece, 2020, Algorithmwatch,
- A. Bruni, A. Gorbatyuk, E. Chelioudakis, Trust in Data Markets, 2020, Safe-DEED European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme,
- Α. Λογοθέτη, Γ. Κροντήρης, Ε. Βαμβακά, Κ. Τερζίδου, Κ. Κακαβούλης, Λ. Χελιουδάκης, Μ. Μπάκα, Μ. Ζαχαροπούλου, Covid-19 & Ψηφιακά δικαιώματα στην Ελλάδα, 2020, Homo Digitalis,
- E.Chelioudakis Risk assessment tools in criminal justice: Is there a need for such tools in Europe and would their use comply with European data protection law?, 2020, ANU Journal of Law and Technology,
- CEPS Task Force on AI & Cybersecurity, Evaluation of the HLEG Trustworthy AI Assessment List (Pilot Version), 2020 Centre for European Policy Studies,
- P.Dewitte, E. Chelioudakis, A. Kuczerawy , Legal Requirements for the data sources used by the CUTLER smart city pilots, 2020, CUTLER European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme,
- E.Biasin, E. Kindt, E. Chelioudakis, J. Herveg, LB Louis, S. Gijrath, T. van der Linden, International Academic Report on Data Localisation and the GDPR (subject to confidentiality agreement), 2019, Study coordinated by Milieu, KU Leuven, University of Namur, Leiden University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
- T. Lalova-Spinks, E. Kindt, E. Chelioudakis, G. Verhenneman, A. Delforge, J. Herveg, International Academic Report on Secondary Use of Personal Data for Scientific Research (subject to confidentiality agreement), 2019, Study coordinated by Milieu, KU Leuven, University of Namur, Universiteit Leiden and Universiteit Amsterdam
- E.Chelioudakis, The use of AI Applications in the Legal Domain, Rethinking IT and IP law : celebrating 30 years CiTiP, 2019, Intersentia
- P. Dewitte, A. Kuczerawy, VK Steponėnaitė, E. Chelioudakis, P. Valcke, Legal Taxonomy of the datasets used by the CUTLER smart city pilots, 2019, CUTLER European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme,
- Regularly writing articles for blogspots and other media.
Speeches in Conferences (some few examples)
- InfoLaw, 2024, ΑΙ: From Theory…to practice
- 8th Data Privacy & Protection Conference 2024, Homo Digitalis’ actions before the Hellenic DPA: A brief overview of cases on Metadata Retention, Biometric Databases and AI Systems,
- RightsCon, 2023, How to beat a Centaur? A closer look into technology-led border management in Greece,
- 2nd Quo Vadis AI International Conference, 2022, Artificial Justice, Supervision and Rights,
- RightsCon, 2022, “Breaking the digital baton: counter-power in the age of high-tech policing,
- European Commission’s (DIGIT) Legal Interoperability Team, Better Regulation for Smoother Implementation (BLSI) Series, 2021, Digital-ready policies and the support of new technologies in policy activities,
- The remote Chaos Experience (rC3) organized by the Chaos Computer Club, 2021, The ReclaimYourFace Campaign: EU, ban biometric mass surveillance,
- EDEN Conference organised by Europol and the Academy of European Law, 2021, (Doin’ it right) Making sure good cops are hunting bad guys – not any other way around”,
- Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP), 2021, The Effective Supervision Of Law Enforcement Authorities: A Reality Or A Myth?,
- 11th Hellenic Conference on Artificial Intelligence (SETN 2020), Special Event on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Law, When European Criminal Justice meets Orwell: Assessing Risk Assessment tools,
- Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP), 2020, AI and Migration Control: New Tools in the Service of Fortress Borders,
- Twelfth International Workshop on Juris-informatics (JURISIN 2018), “AI Risk Assessment Tools: A judge’s best friend?