Is the ICO is without a head. But its problems run deeper 🚧 The regulator has taken its hands off the wheel by failing to enforce data protection law for a long time. As the search for a new Commissioner gets underway, the ICO needs a fundamental reset that puts our rights first. Read our blog ⬇️

TODAY ⏰️ We've partnered with @sflcin.bsky.social and other groups in a special event. The expert panel, including ORG's James Baker, will explore how governments are shaping age assurance laws, the role of platforms and the risks to our rights and the open Internet. Watch live from 3pm BST ⬇️

Yesterday we hosted an event on how the UK can build Digital Sovereignty. Our panel explored open source and the Digital Commons in creating a more resilient, transparent and equitable future. Catch up on the event with @jim.killock.org.uk, @megafreda.eurosky.social and @jmaris.me. Watch now ⬇️

Last week we sent a letter signed by 20 organisations calling for an investigation into the ICO for failings over the eVisa scheme. Despite issues with the scheme being raised from the start, the ICO hasn't taken action against the Home Office to protect migrants' data rights. We need answers.

TODAY! Really looking forward to the discussions :)

VPNs are safe... for now 🛡️ The government backs down on restricting this vital cybersecurity tool. Alongside the announcement of a social media curfew for 16 and 17 year olds comes a win for privacy! Plans to age-gate or restrict VPNs have been dropped, but we're not complacent to future risks.

Digital sovereignty, if done right, could ensure we have a thriving software ecosystem. Ecological digital sovereignty is where digital systems are diverse, interoperable, locally adaptable, and not controlled by any single point of power. ORG’s James Baker writes for @green-isles.bsky.social ⬇️

Coming up on Thursday, we've partnered with @sflcin.bsky.social for a discussion on age assurance. Find out what the global push for social media bans and age assurance systems means for our rights from an expert panel. 🗓️ 16 July 🕧️ 3-4:30pm BST 💻️ Online Register ➡️ form.sflc.in/what-age-ass...

TOMORROW ⏰️ Join our special event on how the UK can build back control over our digital infrastructure, data and tech with open source. Hear from @jim.killock.org.uk, @megafreda.eurosky.social and Jordan Maris discuss Digital Sovereignty. 🗓️ 15 July 🕧️ 6-8pm BST 💻️ Online Register now ⬇️

Today we’ve joined over 20 organisations to urge the UK Government to protect children online without making the internet less secure by restricting VPNs. Child safety and security aren’t competing objectives – we need both. Read our letter ➡️ www.openrightsgroup.org/publications... #SafeAndSecure

"People’s faces being scanned without consent and being added to lists is worrying enough, but the speed which Facewatch technology now makes it possible for someone to encounter the police force in the middle of their daily shop is a really dangerous escalation." 🗣️ Sarah Lasoye for ORG.

NEW: 20 civil society organisations have called for an investigation into the ICO for failing to uphold data protection law in relation to eVisas. This scheme has been plagued with breaches and accessibility issues. And the ICO has done nothing to hold the Home Office to account. Find out more ⬇️

Could UK be moving towards Digital Sovereignty? We welcome Burnham recognising this as an issue in the potential revamp to the UK’s AI strategy. This is an area where he could deliver real economic benefits for the UK and security for our critical infrastructure by moving away from US Big Tech.

Lisa Nandy and DCMS have binned off the cesspit formally known as Twitter 🚮 We can tackle the concentrated power of social media giants by backing federated platforms like BlueSky and Mastodon. Politicians and government bodies should join, so people aren’t forced to use X or Meta to get updates.

Burnham could hoof Palantir out of the NHS if he becomes PM. A good start, but he needs to go further. It’s time to completely break our dependency on US tech firms. With open source tech, we don't have to start again with a new platform when changing vendors. Go big, go for Digital Sovereignty!

Trouble ahead for US data transfers 🧨 The US Supreme Court has overturned precedent that Presidents can't remove heads of independent agencies at will. They've taken a sledgehammer to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework on which the UK also depends. Read how it makes the free flow of data unlawful ⬇️

What is life after Palantir? Join our special event on how the UK can build back control over our digital infrastructure, data and tech with open source. Hear from @jim.killock.org.uk, @megafreda.eurosky.social and Jordan Maris discuss Digital Sovereignty. 🗓️ 15 July 🕧️ 6-8pm BST 💻️ Online ⬇️ Sign up

😖 Rowing back on the decision to block Palantir from the Met is the wrong move. Palantir should have no place in the UK's digital systems, whether it’s policing, the NHS or defence. We must completely break our dependency on US tech firms, especially a company powering ICE and war crimes in Gaza.

Free expression is a human right. This includes the right to receive and impart information. Children have this right too. As Scotland's Children's Commissioner said, the social media ban “would not currently be a proportionate, effective, or enforceable way to protect children's rights".

The use of AI in asylum decisions is meant to save time and money, according to the Home Office. But it's likely the opposite. More haste means lower morale and lesser quality. This pushes more decisions into appeal and up go the costs. ORG's @jim.killock.org.uk explores the current doom-loop ⬇️

🧵NEW: For more than a decade, police in South West England have been quietly experimenting with algorithms to score thousands of people. Most of them didn't know anything about it. Over two years, me and Mark Wilding investigated the messy setup, multiple parts have now been scrapped

More police forces are using so-called 'predictive' tech. @wired.com reveals how algorithms used by Avon & Somerset Police scored people by their 'risk' of offending from multiple databases of sensitive information. These models have been plagued with inaccuracy and 'poor predictive performance'.

The Met Police have announced a major expansion of facial recognition 👁️ The use of this flawed and discriminatory tech still lacks oversight, putting our rights on the back foot. We should be able to walk down the street with a full expectation of privacy and not being ID’d at every step.

Social media bans don't work. They just make things worse. In Australia, for those teens who haven't bypassed the restrictions, their access to news has been curtailed. How does this square with giving votes to 16 year olds? Children have rights to free expression too. ORG's James Baker explains.

What's next after Starmer? A new leader means a new approach to digital policy is possible. No, essential. With andyburnham.bsky.social all but certain to step into Number 10, we've set out what needs to be reset for the benefit of our rights, our democracy and our economy. Read our advice 🧵

“LGBTQ+ teens in particular may rely on social media for crucial information, exploration and support. The ban will also impact how children access and share information that is important for their participation in democracy, as well as for their health and wellbeing." 🗣️ ORG for @wearequeeraf.com.

It's time to appoint a data regulator with teeth. Following the resignation of the Information Commissioner, John Edwards, ORG calls on Parliament to take this opportunity to reset the ICO. That means ending the lax approach to enforcement, including against government data failures. Read more ⬇️

Young people deserve better than a policy built on panic, and all internet users deserve a safe and free internet. The UK’s new social media ban for under-16s is a threat to everyone. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Defend the open Internet 🌐 Digital ID checks behind the social media ban and beyond blow a hole in free expression and privacy. VPN restrictions and encryption-busting device scanning tech are due to follow. As a grassroots organisation, we need you to help fight for our human rights. Donate ⬇️

This #WorldRefugeeDay we’re calling for a ban on the use of AI in the UK asylum system. The hostile environment is being automated with little transparency and limited rights of appeal. People seeking safety shouldn’t be reduced to a case number, a data point in opaque systems. Find out more ⬇️

Ban the business model! Not social media!

John Edwards' departure is a chance "to appoint a regulator with teeth, and reset the regulators' approach of providing data protection in name only." The regulator must be "run by professionals who want the law enforced, including against government data failures." 🗣️ ORG's @jim.killock.org.uk

The UK government could announce restrictions on VPNs next month. This would threaten our privacy and security. VPNs keep young people safe from harassment. Businesses secure. Journalists, activists and whistleblowers protected. Here's why we must #ProtectVPNs 🧵 Sign the petition if you agree ⬇️

The head of the UK data regulator has GONE! Politicians should take this opportunity to fix an organisation that has failed to enforce our data protection laws and rights for years. This isn't just about changing the person at the top, the ICO needs to be fundamentally reset. Sign the petition ⬇️

ORG has joined 60+ groups to tell the Home Office: Stop using facial age estimation on asylum seeking children! This flawed and discriminatory AI could mean a child is denied protections, placed in inappropriate accommodation or removed from the UK. Sign @foxglovelegal.bsky.social’s petition ⬇️

Stop facial age estimation tech in the UK asylum process! Some of the most vulnerable children in the world will be exposed to inaccurate and biased AI tools. Read the open letter to the Home Office signed by ORG and 60 organisations, led by @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and @hrw.org ⬇️ #RefugeeWeek

Facial age estimation tech is being rolled out in the UK asylum system ⚠️ A damning investigation from @lighthousereports.com reveals that the Home Office’s own assessment of these tools found them to be deeply flawed. Yet it's being rolled out regardless of the potentially dangerous consequences.

🚨 First the social media ban, now the government wants to restrict VPNs 🚨 VPNs are a vital cybersecurity tool for businesses, politicians, journalists and families to protect data and communications. Banning or age-gating VPNs would increase cybercrime risks and expose IP addresses to predators.

This #RefugeeWeek, we're calling on politicians to show courage and stand up for people seeking safety! That means fighting back against the Home Office's potentially unlawful use of AI in asylum decision-making. Tell your MP to back an immediate ban ➡️ action.openrightsgroup.org/ban-ai-tools...

Parliament heard calls for a UK Digital Sovereignty strategy yesterday. @victoria-collins.bsky.social highlighted the risks of having foreign-owned companies running our digital systems. This exposes us to foreign decisions outside our control, such as Trump's restrictions on Claude Fable 5.

The use of AI in asylum decision-making is likely unlawful. These tools rewrite interviews, choosing what to include and exclude. Without knowing this, asylum applicants can't be sure accurate information is used to inform decisions. 📺️ ORG's @sarahalsherif.bsky.social explains. #RefugeeWeek

NEW: A global movement to defend the open internet 🌐 #StopKillingTheInternet brings creators, communities and civil society together to say: the Internet must remain open, private and free. ORG is joining the movement as the UK moves to ban social media and scan devices. Find out more ⬇️

Within a year we've gone from porn to “iPhone users, Spotify users, Xbox and PlayStation players pushed through ID checks.” Now social media... It'll only make online harms worse. The data shared for age checks feeds back into ads and customised content that keep us online. 🗣️ ORG's James Baker.

The Cybersecurity Bill is in Parliament TODAY. ORG is urging MPs to vote for an amendment that would require the government to develop a Digital Sovereignty strategy. This would help secure the resilience and independence of the UK’s critical infrastructure away from US Big Tech. Find out more ⬇️

TOMORROW ⏰️ We're taking our work on AI in the asylum system to Parliament for #RefugeeWeek. ORG's @sarahalsherif.bsky.social joins lawyers and human rights defenders to probe the legality and dangers of the Home Office's use of Al in asylum decisions. 🗓️ 17 June 🕡️ 6:30-8pm 📍 Westminster ⬇️ Sign up

The road to hell... The government is chasing its tail with the social media ban. It's another 'online safety' policy heaped upon a bedrock of failures. It too will fail to remove harms. More authoritarian measures will follow. The government must think again with a systems approach. Read more ⬇️

“Soon it will be virtually impossible to be online in the UK without handing over identity documents or biometric data to unregulated companies.” The social media ban means EVERY user has to prove they're over 16. This puts millions at risk of their personal data being hacked. 🗣️ ORG's James Baker.

"Every failed attempt to make children safer online is followed by more surveillance and censorship. Children have rights too and these policies will harm their free expression and privacy rights, and push them into less regulated spaces." 🗣️ ORG's James Baker on the social media ban for under-16s.

The fight for the open Internet is on – support our work 🦾 We're facing a social media ban, digital ID checkpoints and powers to scan our devices. Our privacy and free expression rights could lie in tatters if we don't resist. Donate now to power our grassroots movement ⬇️ #StopKillingInternet

Social media bans don't work. Yet it's happening globally as leaders try to grab headlines with creeping digital ID checks. This doesn't take on how platforms are designed to capture users' attention with harmful content through data-driven algorithms so they can sell ads. #stopKillingInternet