Data protection law is a crucial tool for immigration and asylum practitioners up against the EU's increasing ‘datafication’. Its avenues for redress offer alternative paths to justice for those who might otherwise be without options. Want to learn more? Get the handbook here: buff.ly/b3jc3Oj

Gran trabajo de @statewatch.bsky.social editando esta guía sobre privacidad y protección de datos para los profesionales de #inmigración y #asilo: Extralimitaciones tecnológicas contra las personas migrantes. Te lo cuento en @publico.es #ProtecciónInternacional www.publico.es/opinion/colu...

Why should you care about data protection law? Because as the EU increases its datafication, we need to equip ourselves to protect our data. Get the handbook now: buff.ly/b3jc3Oj

The 11th issue of the #ExternalisationBulletin is here. Here are some of the updates. 1. Global counter-smuggling alliance: The EU prepares a joint declaration for its global alliance on migrant smuggling, aiming to extend enforcement powers “along the whole route.”

1/ We have a right to privacy — but the definition of privacy varies worldwide. So, how do we understand it in Europe?

It's a dense week ahead for Europol and with @statewatch.bsky.social we decided to publish the results of a long research into the agency's largely secretive links with the tech industry, moving on from its recently-launched Research and Industry Days. www.statewatch.org/analyses/202... -->

1/ NEW GUIDE: We’ve just published a new Data Protection Handbook on Asylum and Migration in Europe. ⚠️ Who it is for: This handbook is for anyone who works in immigration, in asylum, or who advocates for the rights of migrants and asylum seekers.

1/ What does the increasing relationship between Europol and private companies mean for our rights and democratic process? That's precisely what we cover in our latest analysis by @giacomoza.bsky.social

"The only safe route is one that respects, without compromise, the dignity and fundamental rights of all. The right to asylum is inalienable: it must be guaranteed, not negotiated."

The Slovenian government is calling for an EU Response to US government sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The 10th issue of the #ExternalisationBulletin is out now 🚨 It covers: • Progress on plans for major migration routes • Frontex projects proposed in Egypt & Morocco • Potential deportations from EU to Côte d’Ivoire • & more. Full issue, compiled by @freylindsay.bsky.social, here: buff.ly/bWL4McV

Last year, the EU adopted new rules against money laundering and terrorist financing—and the organisation Privacy First is urging the Dutch government to ensure the protection of rights, privacy and safeguards. Read more: buff.ly/gFBW86q

The Srebrenica massacre remains the only event on European soil since the Holocaust to be formally recognised as genocide. In a tale all too familiar, it unfolded as Europe looked on. Read more in the article by Eliana Nunes: buff.ly/xnolx7p

The EU’s latest idea is to deport people to countries they have zero connection to. EU member states are talking about changing the “safe third country” rules so they can deport more people—even if it means undermining safeguards. And the Council agrees. Read more: buff.ly/8RuyAP4

We are hiring a new Executive Director! This is a chance to build on our nearly 35-year legacy of work. Apply by 6 October 2025 at: buff.ly/TbcOn7s Have questions? We recorded an information session with prospective applicants, which you can view by emailing [email protected].

Don't miss out! We're hiring for a new Director, and tomorrow we'll hold an info session for potential applicants. It'll be a chance to ask questions about the role, requirements, application process, and more. Friday, 18 September at 11:00 AM BST / 12:00 PM CEST Register here: buff.ly/uWeECph

Frontex pays out hundreds of millions of euros every year to EU and Schengen member states. We have visualised the data to show the scale and scope of the funding: more than €2 billion between the beginning of 2008 and the end of 2024. Read it here: buff.ly/Tto3m1L

1/ Are you passionate about human rights? Have experience fostering a collaborative and effective team? Have expertise in journalism, law, or policy-making? Then you might be the next Executive Director of Statewatch!

The 9th issue of the #ExternalisationBulletin is out now 🚨 It covers: • The extensive operations across Africa; • Plans to use development aid as leverage for deportations; • Budget proposals with more external control and less democratic scrutiny; And much more. Read here: buff.ly/K5esfCb

We are hiring a new Executive Director! Could it be you? If so, please apply by 6 October! If not, please share widely. Role description and application portal here: buff.ly/Slyukaw

Last week, the EU-funded Libyan ‘coast guard’ shot at a humanitarian search and rescue ship for twenty minutes. This was not an isolated incident—and yet, the EU and its member states have continued to fund, equip, and coordinate with them. Read the full analysis by Daniel Watt: buff.ly/68Hrrck

1/ A new EU plan could expand access to personal data for US immigration and law enforcement. This proposal document (see article) was released without a press announcement or much mention at all, yet it contains alarming plans.

Detailed accounts of violent 'pushbacks' by the Greek Coast Guard demonstrate the lengths to which the EU will go to evade its obligations to offer asylum. Read more in the special report by Eliana Nunes: buff.ly/OeYVdLv

1/ As the EU pushes its borders further outside its territory, they call it "innovative". It's not. Our recent analysis challenges the assumptions that many externalisation researchers and journalists may hold about externalisation.

We’re joining the global economic strike for Palestine. What does this mean? Every Thursday, including today, we will: 1. Avoid all financial transactions. 2. Avoid all forms of paid transport. 3. Continue our work to expose state power and injustice.

While UK police arrested 532 people for opposing genocide, the justice secretary also announced new measures against migrants. This included changing the law so that foreign nationals handed down prison sentences will be deported immediately. Read more on our website: buff.ly/5enn6q8

1/The EU’s Horizon programme gave more than €1.2 billion to Israeli institutions between 2014 and 2020 — including companies involved in surveillance, drone tech, and military research. Now, the EU Commission is proposing a partial suspension of funding — but many say it’s too little, too late.

EU governments are embedding artificial intelligence into migration, policing and criminal justice systems — claiming it will improve “efficiency” and “fairness”. But AI trained on injustice only replicates injustice. Read the full report: buff.ly/TBVzOl6

We’ve just updated the charts in our Frontex deportations analysis to include new data from 2024.  Explore the updated charts by Ida Flik 📊: buff.ly/kekx1S8

Austria’s parliament has passed a law to legalise spyware for state use — despite strong opposition from civil society, cybersecurity experts, and opposition parties. Now, this opposition has promised to challenge the law in court. Read more:https://buff.ly/guTDkne

Private companies are at the centre of Europe’s digital policing boom. From American tech giants to Israeli surveillance firms, corporations are building—and profiting from—systems that criminalise communities. 📄 Learn more in our report, New Technologies, Old Injustice: buff.ly/4lEb2kj

Weekend read from @saradejong.bsky.social and me on selective state secrecy, accountability and the harm potential of the Afghan data leak 👇🏽 @statewatch.bsky.social @bordercrim.bsky.social @europeangroup.bsky.social theconversation.com/afghan-data-...

A new public archive, Spycop Research, is shining a light on decades of undercover policing in the UK—and the depth of state secrecy behind it. This isn’t just history — it’s a resource to challenge ongoing political policing, state secrecy, and lack of accountability. 📄 Read more: buff.ly/BRhEMuG

1/ Predictive policing is predictably biased. These systems claim to be neutral. But they rely on data shaped by decades of over-policing, racial profiling, and discrimination. The result? Tools that reinforce the very injustices they claim to prevent.

The UK government is expanding its use of electronic tagging to track and restrict people outside of prison—including asylum seekers and migrants. Read more about the history, normalisation, and consequences of electronic tagging: buff.ly/l0cKDan

Frontex is attempting to build a border regime in West Africa that prioritises European interests. But some Sahelian states are fighting back and severing ties with former colonial powers. Our new report with @statewatch.bsky.social‬ sheds light on these dynamics. www.tni.org/en/publicati...

1/ “I do use ethnic profiling… We’ve got to discriminate, because otherwise, we wouldn’t catch anyone.” That’s a direct quote from a Belgian police officer. It reflects what’s long been known by communities on the ground—and is now being automated by predictive policing tools.

New report out now: New Technologies, Old Injustice 🚨 Across Europe, authorities are using so-called ‘predictive’ technologies to profile and criminalise marginalised communities. 1/3

The 8th issue of the #ExternalisationBulletin is out now 🚨 This edition covers: • Stronger migration role for EU security missions • New push to label categories of countries as “safe” • States want more money for migration control in new EU budget Find the full issue here: buff.ly/ub3A6Ge

Frank van der Linde is a long-time activist for racial justice, the environment, and Palestine. In 2018, he discovered that Dutch police had listed him as a terrorist. Since then, he's endured legal battles, delays, and cover-ups. Now, he’s demanding accountability. 📄 Read more: buff.ly/RtazWjD

Don't forget to register! See you tomorrow at 4pm BST.

Join us for a live online event as we present our new report, Automating Authority: Artificial intelligence in European police and border regimes, & hear from allies organising against these same systems in the US. Details: Tues 17 June, 16 BST Register: buff.ly/8uNOtPt More info: buff.ly/uv3vE7V

Our recent investigations have revealed that key safeguards in EU police databases are already being ignored—with serious consequences for data protection rights. Read more: buff.ly/vg09WOD

1/ EU governments should firmly condemn Israel's illegal maritime kidnapping of the Madleen crew and demand their citizens are freed immediately. This morning, the Israeli military boarded and seized the Madleen—a civilian vessel delivering a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza—and kidnapped its crew.

‼️New IRR study warns of Europe's creeping authoritarianism with increased used of weaponry against racialised minorities ⤵️ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Together with the Collaborative Research Center for Resilience, we are coming together to discuss state power, digital technologies and security politics in Europe and the USA. Details: • Date: Tuesday 17 June, 16:00 BST • Where: Online, via Zoom • More info: buff.ly/ZJIEzFI

EU laws require strong data safeguards—but many states are ignoring them. • Some countries never implemented protections • Others block people from accessing their own data Yet, instead of acting—the EU is pushing forward with plans to expand deportations. 📄 Read the analysis: buff.ly/4dFeWv1

The 7th issue of the #ExternalisationBulletin is out now 🚨  This issue covers: • Continued EU support for racist violence in N. Africa • Potential "strengthening" of coercive visa sanctions • €3 billion more funding for migration control • and more. Find the full issue here: buff.ly/ZXtnPUp

The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act is meant to regulate AI. But our research shows that when it comes to security uses, the law is riddled with: • Loopholes • Exemptions • And exceptions And for who? Law enforcement and migration control.

EU governments are pushing to set up deportation camps in non-EU countries — and to do so in a way that avoids judicial scrutiny. These so-called “return hubs” would hold people who have received a final deportation order, even if they cannot be sent to their country of origin.