Shall we care about Europol? The answer is... Read our latest investigation to catch a glimpse about what the agency is doing to accelerate the AI transformation of policing across the EU, with minimal safeguards. www.computerweekly.com/news/3666344...

Στις 22 και 29 Νοέμβρη θα κάνω δύο διαλέξεις εξ αποστάσεως στα πλαίσια των μεθοδολογικών εργαστηρίων του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών για το ρόλο του λόμπινγκ στην πολιτική ζωή της ΕΕ. Περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες www.facebook.com/YiorgosVassa...

Btw 2020 and 2021 Europol landed enormous volumes of data as a part of three mega-hack operations that dismantled encrypted communication systems. This would become the starting point of the agency's AI ambitions. New investigation out with @giacomoza.bsky.social and @stavinoha.bsky.social

Since 2022, there have been repeated efforts to mandate the scanning of private communications in the EU. Denmark is trying again, bringing another version of the proposal for a vote in the Council of the EU on October 14th. Will this really make Europeans safer? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Frontex doesn't like to hear its 'voluntary' interviews of people arriving at Europe's shores being described as covert 'interrogations'. Why? Because it has no legal mandate to interrogate and criminalise migrants. Yet, that is precisely what's happening in Spain. elpais.com/espana/2025-...

A probe into a massive fraud in Greece involving hundreds of millions of EU cash is widening. It now includes a former official from the ruling New Democracy party of PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Good morning, I've written a piece about the prime minister. I spoke to several dozen sources, including government insiders, former legal colleagues and campaigners to ask: what happened to Keir Starmer the heroic human rights lawyer? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This comes on the back of our latest investigation with @lolahierro.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social, revealing Europol's apparent refusal to delete/restrict using data of more than 11,000 people Frontex had unlawfully shared since 2016. english.elpais.com/internationa...

Dänemark schlägt wieder eine weitreichende verpflichtende Chatkontrolle vor. Der Juristische Dienst des Rats bezeichnet auch diesen Vorschlag als rechtswidrig. Ob das Gesetz noch kommt, könnte von Deutschland und Frankreich abhängen. Wir veröffentlichen das Protokoll. netzpolitik.org/2025/interne...

More evidence of Europol's apparent disregard for legal norms and boundaries - this time from Lesvos, where its officers appear to be behaving like secret intelligence agents, misusing Frontex activities to interrogate migrants.

🚨 New investigation co-authored by our colleague @stavinoha.bsky.social: EU agencies #Frontex & #Europol unlawfully shared data, sweeping up migrants and #HumanRights defenders. Published in @elpais.com, @lemonde.fr, Solomon, @netzpolitik.org Read more: english.elpais.com/internationa...

Based on our investigation with @lolahierro.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social into years of unlawful personal data transfers between Frontex and Europol, under the guise of EU 'counter-smuggling' efforts. english.elpais.com/internationa...

For years Frontex gathered data and automatically passed it unlawfully to Europol. With @stavinoha.bsky.social & @lolahierro.bsky.social we investigated how this dragnet scooped up thousands of people, migrants and EU activists. wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Frontex suma una nueva ilegalidad a su larga lista: la filtración de datos personales. Impulsamos una carta apoyada por decenas de eurodiputados, para exigir que se investiguen estos abusos y acabar con la criminalización de las personas migrantes y la sociedad civil elpais.com/internaciona...

41 MEPs call upon the European Commission to initiate an independent inquiry into large-scale unlawful transfers of personal data between @frontex.bsky.social and @europol.europa.eu following our investigation for El Pais, Le Monde, Solomon, and Netzpolitik.

I feel this scoop did not get all the attention it deserves yet:

Great work by @stavinoha.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social shedding light on a widely overlooked (and unlawful) programme to feed Europol's database with data collected by Frontex, including those of activists and journalists.

For years, human rights advocates have warned of the criminalisation of migrants & activists at Europe’s borders. With @balkanizator.bsky.social & @lolahierro.bsky.social we shed light on the opaque role of Frontex and Europol in drawing thousands into this dragnet. wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

❗In the name of 'combating migrant smugglers', the European Union's border agency, Frontex, spent years collecting information on migrants and civil society activists deemed 'suspect,' before passing it on to Europol.

Here is how #Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people’s personal data with #Europol Investigation conducted by Solomon, the French newspaper Le Monde, the Spanish newspaper El País, and the German outlet Netzpolitik. wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

NEW: an investigation reveals that Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's data with Europol. Frontex decided to label as “suspects” anyone mentioned during the "debriefing interviews" conducted at disembarkation points at EU’s borders. 🧵Why it matters wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Frontex transfirió durante años ilegalmente a Europol datos de migrantes y activistas elpais.com/internaciona...

Eine Recherche belegt, wie unter dem Vorwand der Bekämpfung von »Menschenschmuggel« Migranten und Aktivisten kriminalisiert werden. Frontex gab dazu ohne Rechtsgrundlage Informationen von über 13 000 Personen an Europol.

Frontex hat jahrelang personenbezogene Daten gesammelt und unrechtmäßig an Europol weitergeleitet. Tausende, darunter EU-Bürger:innen, die Geflüchtete unterstützen, gerieten durch groß angelegte „verdeckte Verhöre“ in ein wachsendes System der Kriminalisierung. netzpolitik.org/2025/gefluec...

Frontex illegally shared thousands of people's personal data with European police

Con @balkanizator.bsky.social y @stavinoha.bsky.social publico hoy esta investigación en @elpais.com acerca de las prácticas ilícitas de @frontex.bsky.social en la obtención y el manejo de datos personales de migrantes y activistas. elpais.com/internaciona...

You’ve seen the “don’t share this code with anyone” SMS messages when you log in to your most sensitive online accounts: banking, messaging, #Google , #Meta, #Amazon. But who else might have seen them before you?

💥 Σήμερα η εφημερίδα Δημοκρατία αποκαλύπτει ότι οι δύο της Ομάδας Αλήθειας το 2015, όταν έκαναν «restart» της Ομάδας, ήταν μισθωτοί της ΝΔ κ αμέσως μετά πέρασαν μισθολογικά σε V+O & Blue Skies των Θ. Βαρβιτσιώτη & Γ. Ολύμπιου.

I’ve spent a lot of time investigating shitty AI cynically used to pursue vulnerable people in welfare systems. When I talk about this work, I invariably get asked: is it possible to make these systems fair?

We are alarmed by Europol arrogating to itself the right to develop surveillance tools, which are likely to dramatically transform the landscape of policing across the EU, in almost complete secrecy. Yet, despite this opacity, political support for Europol is growing in Brussels and EU capitals.

For 4 years, with @giacomoza.bsky.social and @stavinoha.bsky.social we have been researching Europol's agenda about tech. While policy makers in Brussels prepare to give it more powers, we explain why it is important to keep in mind its problematic transparency record: euobserver.com/migration/ar...

In the past months, we kept researching on Europol and its little-known innovation programmes. This op-ed on @euobserver.com with @balkanizator.bsky.social zator @stavinoha.bsky.social explains why Europol needs to change its approach and allow scrutiny. euobserver.com/migration/ar...

Our @euobserver.com op-ed on Europol's increasingly brazen attempts to evade transparency and external scrutiny: euobserver.com/migration/ar... With @balkanizator.bsky.social & @giacomoza.bsky.social

In today's op-ed, @stavinoha.bsky.social , @balkanizator.bsky.social and @giacomoza.bsky.social raise the alarm about Europol's lack of transparency: euobserver.com/migration/ar...

Frontex-directeur Hans Leijtens kan zich voorstellen dat de manier waarop landen als #Griekenland en #Bulgarije wegkomen met illegale pushbacks van #migranten, de indruk wekt van straffeloosheid. Hij reageerde in Pointer Radio op Europarlementariër @tinekestrik.bsky.social.

Nog geen halfjaar nadat Nederlander Hans Leijtens aantrad als topman van @frontex.bsky.social kreeg hij het advies om zich terug te trekken uit Griekenland, wegens alle pushbacks. Hij deed het niet. Frontex bleef, net als de pushbacks. Onderzoek BIRN & Pointer pointer.kro-ncrv.nl/hoe-nederlan...

Excellent reporting on the challenges confronting FRONTEX as it seeks to deal with member states' abuses of migrants

„Der GF von #Frontex, Hans Leitens, nahm es sich 2022 zur Aufgabe, den Ruf des Europäischen Grenzschutzes wiederherzustellen, nachdem bekannt wurde, dass Frontex illegale Rückführungen nach Griechenland systematisch vertuschte.“ Recherche von #Solomon #WeAreSolomon Sehr interessant zu lesen.

This is an excellent thread of even better investigation into the human rights record of Frontex leadership 👇

"We may have contributed to 'a sense of impunity' in #Greece" Exclusive interview with #Frontex @frontex.bsky.social director Hans Leijtens at BIRN, @wearesolomon.bsky.social, @pointerkro-ncrv.bsky.social on #pushbacks in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia. balkaninsight.com/2025/04/08/p...

Αποκλειστική συνέντευξη του διοικητή της #Frontex σε BIRN, Solomon, Pointer. Ο Χ. Λέιτενς ανέλαβε να αποκαταστήσει την φήμη της Frontex μετά τις αποκαλύψεις για συγκάλυψη παράνομων επαναπροωθήσεων στην Ελλάδα. Τρία χρόνια μετά, οι βίαιες επαναπροωθήσεις σε Ελλάδα, Βουλγαρία, Σερβία συνεχίζονται.

1/ Νέα έρευνα: Ο εκτελεστικός διευθυντής της #Frontex, Χανς Λέιτενς, ανέλαβε το 2022 να αποκαταστήσει τη φήμη της Ευρωπαϊκής Συνοριοφυλακής, μετά την αποκάλυψη πως η Frontex συγκάλυπτε συστηματικά τις παράνομες επαναπροωθήσεις στην Ελλάδα. wearesolomon.com/el/mag/forma...

In this investigation for Balkan Insight, we review the human rights record of @frontex.bsky.social's director Hans Leijtens-two years after he vowed to end the agency's complicity in violent pushbacks. Amidst lawlessness at Europe's borders, is he fighting a losing battle? tinyurl.com/bddvh7f5 🧵👇

Hans Leijtens took the Frontex reins with a vow to renew the agency’s commitment to rights and transparency. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on migration and his initial strategy being adapted, is he fighting a losing battle? Our latest BIRN investigation balkaninsight.com/2025/04/08/p...

Dutch former gendarmerie commander Hans Leijtens took the Frontex reins with a vow to renew the EU border agency’s commitment to rights of migrants. With Europe’s leaders taking a hard line on migration, is he fighting a losing battle? Our latest BIRN investigation balkaninsight.com/2025/04/08/p...

BREAKING: #Pegasus attacks on Serbian journalists. Mercenary spyware targeting comes amidst mass anti-corruption protests in #Serbia. Takeaway: NSO Group keeps fueling the crackdown on free speech. 1/ By Amnesty International's Security Lab & BIRN: securitylab.amnesty.org/latest/2025/...

Europe frames migration as a crisis—but this masks the reality of its aging population and skills shortages. Over 18 months, with 20+ journalists, across 7 countries we answered: What’s the true cost of shutting migrants out of jobs? Hear from the reporters:

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