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This study - commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee of Inquiry to Investigate the Use of Pegasus and Equivalent Surveillance Spyware (PEGA) – analyses the proliferation of new and emerging technologies usedfor repression and social control. While these technologies still have the potential to positively enhance democratic values and human rights, repressive regimes actively deploy these tools for ...

The datafication of everyday life and data scandals have made the protection of personal information an increasingly important social, legal and political matter for the EU. In recent years, awareness of data rights and enforcement expectations have both grown considerably. The right to privacy and the right to protection of personal data are both enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and in the EU Treaties. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 gave the Charter the ...

Overall, the IA describes the scope of the problem sufficiently well, and explains briefly, but convincingly, the need for EU action, although proportionality does not appear to have been dealt with in any depth. The IA does not define any operational objectives, which would illustrate what the deliverables of the specific policy actions are, although it identifies monitoring indicators for the specific objectives. The sufficient range of retained policy options is structured according to increasing ...

This study —commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee of Inquiry to Investigate the Use of Pegasus and Equivalent Surveillance Spyware (PEGA)— analyses the impact of use of Pegasus and similar spyware on Article 2 TEU values, on privacy and data protection, and on democratic processes in Member States.

After infiltrating an encrypted phone network widely used by criminals (EncroChat), law enforcement authorities in Europe made headlines with high-profile arrests and seizures. Across Europe, defendants are now challenging evidence and convictions, claiming flawed investigations, violations of cross-border evidence-sharing rules and insufficient disclosure of evidence. They argue that authorities violated their rights to a fair trial, effective remedy and privacy. This paper provides background on ...

This research paper provides an assessment of the legislative proposal for “The European Health Data Space”, including linkages with other EU measures and with Member State rules and laws. It also includes recommendations on further steps needed in order to achieve, facilitate and improve health data sharing, exchange and re-use across the EU.

This study analyses the main provisions of Directive (EU) 2016/680 as well as their implementation within national laws in order to contribute to the European Parliament’s positions and findings regarding the evaluation and review of the Directive. In that context, the study identifies shortcomings and explores potential ways forward through a concrete set of recommendations.This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at ...

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the Committee of Inquiry to investigate the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware (PEGA), provides a description of the legal framework (including oversight and redress mechanisms) governing the use of Pegasus and equivalent spyware in a selection of Member States.

The volume of online child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and frequency of grooming activities, increasingly targeting younger children, is rising sharply. On 11 May 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal for mandatory legislation to combat what is an escalating problem. Reporting of suspected online child sexual abuse increased by 35 % in 2021 compared with 2020, representing a historical peak. Most of the activities detected were hosted in Europe. The Commission proposal would require ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the growing importance of digital health technologies, both to enable remote medical care and to facilitate the health response by international, national and local authorities. At the same time, personal health data have been key for containment measures such as the EU digital COVID-19 certificate. The European Commission's proposal for a regulation on a European health data space aims to improve individuals' access to and control of their electronic personal ...