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France’s police bill : surveillance for the long haul - 15 avril 2021
The French government seems not to be interested in tackling systemic police violence. Instead, one of the most defining features of Macron’s first term as France’s head of state lies in the fast-paced expansion of state surveillance powers. A case in point is Parliament’s impending adoption of the “Bill on Global (...)
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A new digital hub for intelligence law and oversight - 17 février 2021
The GUARDINT research team is pleased to introduce a new composite resource that collects and organises intelligence-related law, case law, and oversight reports from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The goal of this database is to enable more in-depth research into intelligence surveillance. Read on to (...)
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The unwanted reader : BND draft bill would continue the surveillance of journalists and their sources - 1er janvier 2021
Far from a radical overhaul of the mass surveillance of online communications practiced by the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and its partners, the Chancellery’s new draft BND bill, which comes in response to a landmark ruling by the German Constitutional Court, is a brazen attempt to rewrite the rules without (...)
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A year in surveillance - 31 décembre 2020
2020 has been a very turbulent year. This is also true with regards to European surveillance politics, both at the EU level and in national politics. Like most years, it was largely characterised by one central conflict, which in simple terms goes like this : a push for more and more technologically advanced (...)
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Palantir is not our friend - 20 octobre 2020
In recent years, controversial US big data analytics company Palantir has gained ground in European agencies and their data infrastructure. This reflects a larger naiveté within European politics towards foreign tech companies and an imbalance in EU-US relations. Not only should Palantir be kept out of our (...)
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Why policing is not predictable - 14 septembre 2020
Jurisdictions continue to roll out predictive policing methods that use AI-based analytics. So far, trials of these systems – especially those utilising facial recognition – have demonstrated extreme lack of effectiveness. Even more worrying is the risk of fundamental rights violations and the lack of attention paid (...)
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A strange war - 13 septembre 2020
France has long taken pride in and drawn strength from its universalist, secular principles. On the heels of the “war on terror” and the dubious radicalisation doctrine surrounding it, however, the institutional landscape has changed and a new public narrative has taken hold ; one that misjudges the complexities of (...)
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The full force of the state - 20 août 2020
Trial after trial is showing that there is no clear relationship between the use of predictive policing tools and crime reduction. Yet, many police forces still jump on the bandwagon, not wanting to appear unmodern, curious for new policing technologies, or simply falling prey to sales pitches. Across Europe, (...)
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A recipe for hypocrisy : democracies export surveillance tech without human rights - 28 juillet 2020
As is, global trade in surveillance technology is a race to the bottom, in which liberal democratic governments continue to criticise the behaviour of others while using it to justify their own. In a twisted consequence of profits over human rights, democracies also continue to be the primary exporters of (...)
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A strange war - 28 juillet 2020
France has long taken pride in and drawn strength from its universalist, secular principles. On the heels of the “war on terror” and the dubious radicalisation doctrine surrounding it, however, the institutional landscape has changed and a new public narrative has taken hold ; one that misjudges the complexities of (...)
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Why policing is not predictable - 17 juin 2020
Discussion Prompt : When, if ever, is predictive policing effective, fair, and legitimate ? What is the role of data reliability in this ?
Jurisdictions continue to roll out predictive policing methods that use AI-based analytics. So far, trials of these systems – especially those utilising facial recognition – (...)
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European metadata retention : news from the EU court - about:intel - 15 mars 2020
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) is soon to release its judgment on a range of cases regarding data retention and access to metadata, brought before the court by digital rights organisations from France, Belgium, and the UK. Its decision will unquestionably have significant consequences for (...)
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Austrian government’s hacking law ruled unconstitutional - 23 décembre 2019
The Constitutional Court of Austria recently struck down the government’s spyware & licence plate recognition law. Alina Hanel & Thomas Lohninger of Austrian digital rights NGO epicenter.works, which had campaigned against the law for years, explain the ruling’s context and significance.
The Austrian (...)
