All posts tagged: Data protection

Germany plans to give spies vast new powers in rollback of postwar restraints – POLITICO

Germany plans to give spies vast new powers in rollback of postwar restraints – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“We want to continue working closely with the Americans,” Marc Henrichmann, the chairman of a special committee in Germany’s Bundestag that oversees the country’s intelligence services, told POLITICO. “But if a [U.S.] president, whoever that may be, decides in the future to go it alone without the Europeans … then we must be able to stand on our own two feet.” German leaders believe the need is especially urgent in their country, where the foreign intelligence service, or BND, is far more legally constrained than intelligence agencies elsewhere. Those restraints stem from intentional protections put in place after World War II to prevent a repeat of the abuses perpetrated by the Nazi spy apparatus. But those restraints have had the side effect of making Germany particularly dependent on the U.S. for intelligence gathering, and this is now seen as a potential danger. “The intelligence business is one where the question always arises: What do you offer me, what do I offer you?” Henrichmann said. “And of course, if Germany is only a taker, the risk is …

European Parliament blocks AI on lawmakers’ devices, citing security risks

European Parliament blocks AI on lawmakers’ devices, citing security risks

Published by skeptic

The European Parliament has reportedly blocked lawmakers from using the baked-in AI tools on their work devices, citing cybersecurity and privacy risks with uploading confidential correspondence to the cloud. Per an email seen by Politico, the parliament’s IT department said it could not guarantee the security of the data uploaded to the servers of AI companies and that the full extent of what information is shared with AI companies is “still being assessed.” As such, the email said, “It is considered safer to keep such features disabled.” Uploading data to AI chatbots, like Anthropic’s Claude, Microsoft’s Copilot, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for example, means that U.S. authorities can demand the companies that run the chatbots turn over information about their users. AI chatbots also typically rely on using information that users provide or upload to improve their models, increasing the chance that potentially sensitive information uploaded by one person may be shared and seen by other users. Europe has some of the strongest data protection rules in the world. But the European Commission, the executive body …

Ireland launches ‘large-scale inquiry’ into Musk’s AI bot Grok – POLITICO

Ireland launches ‘large-scale inquiry’ into Musk’s AI bot Grok – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It could trigger another fight between the U.S. and the EU over enforcement of Europe’s tech regulations. Top officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump blasted a move by the European Union in December to fine X €120 million over violations of the bloc’s content moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act.  The Irish regulator is in charge of enforcing the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on many of the world’s tech giants that have their European headquarters in Ireland. It has the power to impose fines on X as large as 4 percent of global annual turnover. The Data Protection Commission “has commenced a large-scale inquiry which will examine compliance [of X’s international entity] with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand,” Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said. Doyle said the Data Protection Commission had been engaging with X since media reports about the sexualized deepfakes emerged “a number of weeks ago.” The European Commission in January launched an investigation into the Grok deepfakes under the …

EU Parliament blocks AI tools over cyber, privacy fears – POLITICO

EU Parliament blocks AI tools over cyber, privacy fears – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The European Union has beefed up its data security policies in recent years, in part due to concerns around foreign technology vendors. A group of lawmakers in November urged the Parliament to ditch internal use of Microsoft software in favor of a European alternative, POLITICO reported. The institution in 2023 also banned the use of social media app TikTok on staff devices and recommended that MEPs delete it from their phones. The latest move to switch off AI tools concerns built-in features like writing and summarizing assistants, enhanced virtual assistants and webpage summaries in both tablets and phones, an EU official said, granted anonymity to disclose details of the security policy. Apps, email, calendar, documents, and other day-to-day tools are not affected, the email to lawmakers said. In a written statement to POLITICO, the European Parliament press service said it “constantly monitor[s] cybersecurity threats and quickly deploys the necessary measures to prevent them,” but wouldn’t comment on specific security or cybersecurity matters due to their “sensitive nature.” The Parliament declined to clarify what exact built-in …

Washington pushes back against EU’s bid for tech autonomy – POLITICO

Washington pushes back against EU’s bid for tech autonomy – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Europe and the U.S. “face the same sort of threat and the same threat actors,” said Cairncross, who advises Trump on cybersecurity policy. Rather than weaning off America, wean off China, he said: “There is a clean tech stack. It is primarily American. And then there is a Chinese tech stack.” Claiming that U.S. tech is as risky as Chinese tech is “a giant false equivalency,” according to Cairncross. “Personal data doesn’t get piped to the state in the United States,” he said, referencing concerns that the Beijing government has laws requiring firms to hand over data for Chinese surveillance and espionage purposes. The attempt to quell concerns is notable even if it may not change the direction of travel in Europe. The European Commission wants to boost homegrown technology with a “tech sovereignty” package this spring. It presented a cybersecurity proposal in January that, if approved, could be used to root out suppliers that pose security risks — including from America. “We want to ensure that we don’t have risky dependencies when it comes to …

One in three Germans welcome killer robots, new poll says – POLITICO

One in three Germans welcome killer robots, new poll says – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The results suggest a cultural shift, as the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz no longer explicitly excludes lethal decisions without human checks. It also puts Germany in a different category than some of its allies: In the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and France, 26 percent of respondents said militaries could rely on AI rather than human decision — or roughly a quarter of people. Forty-seven percent of German respondents still favored human involvement in the use of weapons, even if they are slower than AI. But that figure was 10 percentage points lower than responses to the same question in the U.K., eight points lower than in the U.S. and Canada, and five percentage points lower than in France.  Almost half of respondents in Germany (46 percent) said cybersecurity and artificial intelligence capabilities mattered as much as traditional military power to win wars. The online survey, conducted for POLITICO by the independent London-based polling company Public First, comes as political leaders, security chiefs and industry officials gather in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. Part …

EU top court unblocks WhatsApp’s fight against millions in privacy fines – POLITICO

EU top court unblocks WhatsApp’s fight against millions in privacy fines – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Tuesday’s ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) stems from a 2021 decision by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) to fine WhatsApp €225 million for not being transparent enough with users about what it does with their data. The Irish privacy regulator had originally proposed a lower fine of €30 million to €50 million, but its peers from across Europe disagreed with how the Irish authority had calculated the fine and ordered Ireland to raise the fine to €225 million. The top court said Tuesday that decisions by Europe’s board of privacy regulators — which are technically binding on national regulators — are open to challenge by the companies affected. “The EDPB is an unelected authority whose decisions can directly impact businesses and people across the EU,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said, adding that Tuesday’s decision “upholds our argument that those businesses and people should be able to challenge decisions the EDPB makes against them, so that it can be held fully accountable by the EU courts.” WhatsApp appealed the EDPB decision in …

EU plan to share data with US border force sparks surveillance fears – POLITICO

EU plan to share data with US border force sparks surveillance fears – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The Trump administration’s request for deeper access comes after the U.S. border agency in December proposed reviewing five years of social media history. Talks are happening as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service is under heavy scrutiny for its use of surveillance technology against protesters in cities such as Minneapolis. The negotiations should be “put on hold” until the security and privacy of citizens in the EU and U.S. can be guaranteed, liberal European Parliament member Raquel García Hermida-van der Walle said in an interview. Romain Lanneau, a legal researcher with surveillance watchdog Statewatch, said police databases in Europe could contain information on anyone from protesters to journalists who might be considered a “threat,” and that — under the deal being discussed — this information would be at the fingertips of U.S. border authorities who could refuse those people entry to the United States or even detain them. European regulators are “very cautiously looking at what’s happening in the United States,” Wojciech Wiewiórowski, the EU’s in-house data protection supervisor, told POLITICO. Europe “has to be careful” about how it allows the data of …

Poland faces millions in EU fines as president vetoes tech bill – POLITICO

Poland faces millions in EU fines as president vetoes tech bill – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Deputy Digital Minister Dariusz Standerski said in a TV interview that, “since the president decided to veto this law, I’m assuming he is also willing to have these costs [of a potential fine] charged to the budget of the President’s Office.” Nawrocki’s refusal to sign the bill brings back bad memories of Warsaw’s years-long clash with Brussels over the rule of law, a conflict that began when Nawrocki’s Law and Justice party rose to power in 2015 and started reforming the country’s courts and regulators. The EU imposed €320 million in penalties on Poland from 2021-2023. Warsaw was already in a fight with the Commission over its slow implementation of the tech rulebook since 2024, when the EU executive put Poland on notice for delaying the law’s implementation and for not designating a responsible authority. In May last year Brussels took Warsaw to court over the issue. If the EU imposes new fines over the rollout of digital rules, it would “reignite debates reminiscent of the rule-of-law mechanism and frozen funds disputes,” said Jakub Szymik, …

Polish president aligns with Trump to block Brussels’ Big Tech law – POLITICO

Polish president aligns with Trump to block Brussels’ Big Tech law – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Nawrocki argued that while the bill’s stated aim of protecting citizens — particularly minors — was legitimate, the Polish bill would grant excessive power to government officials over online content, resulting in “administrative censorship.”  “I want this to be stated clearly: a situation in which what is allowed on the internet is decided by an official subordinate to the government resembles the construction of the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s novel 1984,” Nawrocki said in a statement — echoing the U.S.’s stance on the law. Nawrocki also warned that allowing authorities to decide what constitutes truth or disinformation would erode freedom of expression “step by step.” He called for a revised draft that would protect children while ensuring that disputes over online speech are settled by independent courts. Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski dismissed Nawrocki’s position, accusing the president of undermining online safety and siding with digital platforms.  “The president has vetoed online safety,” Gawkowski told a press briefing Friday afternoon, arguing the law would have protected children from predators, families from disinformation …