by Claudia Prettner, Legal/Policy Adviser – Technology, Data Protection, Human Rights, Amnesty International This opinion piece was originally published on Social Europe. New EU digital rules need to tackle the business model of surveillance capitalism. Last December the European Commission...

On 15 December 2020, the European Commission has adopted two legislative proposals to govern the digital sphere: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These proposals have been eagerly awaited as there is a pressing need for a safer and more transparent online...

End exploitation and raise labour standards in European agriculture At least ten million people are employed in European agriculture, mainly as seasonal workers, day labourers or in other insecure statuses. Despite being defined as essential by the EU institutions and national governments when...

This afternoon, the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted an important report requesting the European Commission to submit a formal proposal for an EU due diligence law. The law requires business enterprises, including financial institutions, to address human rights,...

To: Ms Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition European Commission Friday, 27 November 2020 Dear Executive Vice-President Vestager, I am writing to you to raise Amnesty International’s serious concerns over Google’s planned takeover of the...

Brussels, 19 November 2020 Dear Members of the Trade, Health and Development Committees of the European Parliament,Dear Members of National Parliaments of European Union member states, We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call on you to take actions in your capacity as a parliamentary...

New Amnesty investigation highlights why EU export rules for surveillance technology fail. European tech companies risk fuelling widespread human rights abuses by selling digital surveillance technology to China’s public security agencies, a new Amnesty International investigation reveals. The...

Ruling on Baldassi and others v France case finds in favour of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaigners Responding to today’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, that the convictions of 11 activists in France for campaign actions calling for a boycott of Israeli products...

Democracy – Inclusion – Justice – Solidarity – Sustainability The COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrating all too well that unequal societies go hand-in-hand with human suffering, fragile economies and delicate democracies. Solidarity must be the bedrock of Europe’s response to this crisis: to fighting...

People’s rights are being violated by governments in Europe and Central Asia, who are cracking down on protests and seeking to erode the independence of the judiciary to avoid accountability, Amnesty International said today as it published its annual review of human rights in the region. The...

Dear Mr Schmidt, Thank you for your letter dated 20/11/19 (Ref. NIF 2016/2001) which we read with interest. Firstly, we note your request for further information, within four weeks, on access to social housing or active channeling of Roma people into camps in Italy, without which, you intend to...

We the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, are calling for effective EU legislation that establishes a mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence framework for business, companies and financial institutions operating, or offering a product or service, within the...