The EU Commission should not skip public consultations, impact assessments, or other steps of ‘good regulation’ by simply citing the vague ‘urgency’ of a legislative proposal, the European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho found in an inquiry on Wednesday.

Hey there, you’re using WhatsApp? Recently, researchers found a significant privacy flaw that enabled them to uncover phone numbers associated with 3.5 billion accounts. Read more about this and learn how to limit who can see your WhatsApp information in our digital security newsletter:

My @statewatch.bsky.social's report on @heise.de👇

Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen #Europol und #US -Tech-Unternehmen ist - gerade in diesen Zeiten - schlicht Wahnsinn. #Datenschutz, #Privatsphäre und #Grundrechte gehen immer weiter über Bord. "Wie #Europol mit #Microsoft, #Palantir, #Clearview & Co. auf Kuschelkurs geht." www.heise.de/news/Wie-Eur...

Revealed: Europol is quietly building a vast AI-driven criminal data hub, sweeping up messages, biometrics, and other sensitive info with minimal oversight or transparency, raising major risks for privacy, civil rights, and biased policing. 👀 wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

You can listen to some of our last investigative findings - with @balkanizator.bsky.social & @stavinoha.bsky.social - on Europol, and its opaque relation with the tech industry, on this podcast by Slovenian digital rights group Citizen D @drzavljand.bsky.social podcast.drzavljand.si/drzavljan-d/...

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...

A big thank you to the experts+editors that supported this two years long effort: @annskaja.bsky.social @krisshrishak.bsky.social @lydiaemman.bsky.social @billgoodwin.bsky.social @nunomoniz.bsky.social @article19.bsky.social @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social and Seb. Klovig Skelton from CW.

Based on internal documents obtained from Europol and analyzed by data protection and AI experts, this investigation raises serious concerns about the implications of the agency’s program on people’s privacy and the lack of solid oversight in the development of AI models.

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

We've found DHS is giving local cops a new facial recognition app to find immigrants. Point camera at face, tells the cop to detain person or not. The app is available on Google's Play Store. Google took down apps that report ICE sightings but now hosts this app www.404media.co/cbp-quietly-...

INBOX: @justfutureslaw.bsky.social and @ccrjustice.org sued the Trump admin to compel disclosure of ICE/CBP's use of surveillance tech developed by two Israeli companies, Paragon and Cellebrite, after the legal groups claimed the govt improperly denied initial FOIA requests to see the contracts.

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... -->

⚠️For years, the Big Tech front group Allied for Startups has been underreporting its lobby budget. 👏 Following a complaint by CEO and @lobbycontrol.bsky.social, Allied for Startups has now been forced by the EU Transparency Register to correct its registration. 👉 corporateeurope.org/en/media/6430

👉 Up next: Freelancers and Newsrooms: Can We Collaborate Better? When partnerships click, they deliver powerful investigations. When they falter, trust, payment and editorial control become flashpoints. With Zlatina Siderova, @gpaccardo.bsky.social, Natalie Donback, and @giacomoza.bsky.social.

👀 Chatkontrolle: Kinderschutz oder Massenüberwachung? - Europe Calling Webinar in 🇬🇧+🇩🇪. Mit: @giacomoza.bsky.social, @pneutig.eupolicy.social.ap.brid.gy, @detlevsh.bsky.social & @alexandrageese.bsky.social & @friesmaximilian.bsky.social 💻 Anmeldung: t1p.de/t6sev #Chatkontrolle #ChatControl

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

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...

❗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.

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...

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.

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.

📖 Read about dangers of Europol's deepening aversion to transparency at the EU Observer: euobserver.com/migration/ar... ✍️ Sign the petition to call on Members of the European Parliament to reject the proposed reform of the Europol Regulation in its entirety: action.wemove.eu/sign/2025-05...

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...

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...

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

🎙️ New episode of #Backlight is out! Want to dig deeper into financial investigations, but not sure where to start? In our latest episode, @margotgibbs.bsky.social and @giacomoza.bsky.social share how reporters can use financial clues to crack open investigations.

In the course of the inquiry, Europol indicated its willingness to revise its existing processes. The Ombudsman welcomed this, and asked Europol to report back, within six months, indicating how the revision addresses the shortcomings identified in this inquiry.

The inquiry initiated from a complaint of former MEP Patrick Breyer @echo-pbreyer.digitalcourage.social.ap.brid.gy, following a hearing at the EP LIBE committee provoked by the publication of our investigation into Europol's positioning regarding the Commission's CSAM regulation proposal.

Examining the case of a former staff moving to work for Thorn the European Ombudsman has assessed that "Europol failed to deal with the above conflict of interest situation, putting at risk the integrity and impartiality of its actions". www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/decision/...

The Eur. Commission's law proposal to use client side scanning tech to monitor communications for law enforcement is still on the table. But evidence that this won't be a secure solution is amassing. Its time to replace it with a better proposal. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

New episode of #Backlight is out! This month, we are talking about how journalists can incorporate AI reporting into their beat and hold companies and governments to account.

Paragon Solutions, the Israeli spyware vendor linked to new surveillance of journalists and civil society, has set up shop in the 🇪🇺EU’s most powerful country: 🇩🇪 Germany and thus gaining unrestricted access to the bloc. My debut for @euractiv.bsky.social. 👇 www.euractiv.com/section/tech...

Disappointing news today from Croatia regarding our 2021 @lhreports.bsky.social et. al. Masked Men investigation: The State Attorney's Office concluded (3+ years later) that there is no reasonable suspicion that the officers "tortured migrants or treated them cruelly" www.index.hr/vijesti/clan...

22.01 Niger 🇳🇪 The 4 Moroccan drivers kidnapped between Dori (Burkina Faso & Téra (Niger) on 18.01 by the ISGS have reportedly been released & are at the Moroccan embassy in Niamey. ⚠️However, the fate of Eva Gretzmacher, the Austrian national abducted on 12.01 in Agadez , is still not known.

Depuis des années, les camps de transit 🇳🇪 au Niger, notamment à Agadez, sont débordés et la patience des migrants est mise à rude épreuve. www.infomigrants.net/fr/post/6243...

From our blog posts ✍️ so far this January - Antonella Napolitano and Hope Barker argue that expansion of Europol powers show that EU institutions continue to pursue violent policing measures over evidence-based solutions: https://buff.ly/3Ea8e5k

"It is this persistence to push through regulations that could make EU citizens less safe online that makes the general absence of progress on other actual growing cybersecurity threats in Europe so frustrating." Important piece by @balkanizator.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

But really the big questions is... What are the top policy makers and law enforcers thinking when on the one hand advise their officials to use encrypted communications and then vigorously advocate against its use by EU citizens? www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

Since late 2023, with @giacomoza.bsky.social and @stavinoha.bsky.social we looked into the politics and interests aligning around the proposal. Since then we were blamed repeatedly for disinformation from the Commission and our reporting is being stonewalled. balkaninsight.com/2023/09/29/e...

Read @balkanizator.bsky.social's article on his, and our, experience covering controversial surveillance plans by the EU.

This was one of multiple complaints I submitted to the Ombudsman as part of our investigation with @balkanizator.bsky.social and @giacomoza.bsky.social, during which we encountered continuous delays and irregularities in the Commission's handling of our FOI requests. www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...

After analyzing a complaing by @stavinoha.bsky.social, in the context of our 2023 investigation into the "chat control proposal", @ombudsman.europa.eu found that the EU Commission's refusal to disclose key internal documents is maladministration. Read here👇

Michael Casey, director of the 🇺🇸National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said that by now “nearly 100” nations have purchased advanced #spyware designed to crack into cellphones, “and they’re using it.” breakingdefense.com/2025/01/near...

The CIA declassified records on its spying campaign targeting Latino civil rights leaders. But the FBI is still stonewalling and keeping its role hidden. Read more about this and secrecy news stories in our latest newsletter.

In July 2024, the re-elected president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, promised to “more than double” the staff of Europol, the EU policing agency, in order to respond to a “growing threat” in Europe. The threat? Migrant smuggling. blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...

We're going to teach 404 Media subscribers how to pry secrets from the upcoming Trump admin. January 23rd, 1PM EST, we'll livestream for an hour+ and teach you how to FOIA federal, state, local agencies, how to fight back when they deny requests, much more www.404media.co/our-new-foia...